MEET THE OWNER – STEVE WATKINS AND HIS 1982 TOYOTA HI-ACE DEVON CAMPER
By Ellie Priestley |
23rd June, 2020
‘I bought my Toyota Hi-Ace Campervan in 2018 having looked at VW “Bay Window” Vans, but I wanted something a bit more a) unusual and b) reliable’. Devon Conversions built the 1982 model owned by Steve Watkins, and it now has approximately 130,000 miles on the clock – while looking ready to cover at least another 200.
The original H10-series Hi-Ace debuted in 1967 and Steve’s Toyota is one of the last examples of the second-generation version. It is the 2.0-litre long-wheelbase version, powered by the ‘renowned bombproof 18R engine’. Commercial Motor of 8th September 1978 noted that the steering column gear-change was ‘very precise in operation’. Mr. Watkins finds his Toyota ‘very smooth, particularly once on main roads/motorway, away from potholes etc.’ – and ‘very comfortable to drive’.
By the late 1970s, quite a few operators favoured a Hi-Ace instead of a Ford Transit, Bedford CF, Leyland Sherpa and the Dodge-badged Spacevan. One attraction was the list of standard equipment – a radio, a variable-speed heater fan, cigarette lighter, reclining front seat for the driver, electric windscreen washers and a ‘heavy duty heater. Steve remarks that the Toyota was quite a favourite with ‘carpet fitters and such businesses’.
Alternatively, Devon could transform your Hi-Ace into a suburban villa on wheels. At that time, the firm was mainly associated with Volkswagen, but 38 years ago, their Toyotas were seen in camping sites from Swanage to Blackpool. The advertisements enticed potential customers with ‘When You Go Away, Stay in All The Best Places’, as ‘Even some hotel rooms don’t come as luxurious as the Hi-Ace Motor Caravan’. There was also a not-so-subtle dig at certain rivals – ‘with Toyota’s renowned reliability, you shouldn’t be troubling either the RAC or the AA’.
Mr. Watkins is the third owner of this splendid “Alpine Green” motor home and its previous custodians drove it for ’12 years and 24 years respectively’. The Hi-Ace now goes by the Nom-de-Camper of “Kermit” and Steve remarks on how she has been ‘loved, and well looked after, whilst enjoyed and used throughout her life!’ She was sold with ‘all log books and manuals etc.’ and the interior is ‘original - cupboards, sink, fridge, stove’.
In Steve’s words ‘Having camped as a family for many years in tents, this was the dream to own my very own campervan as we love the outdoors’. The Toyota ‘never fails to bring a smile to people’s faces; everyone over the age of 45 years old remembers this van. We love her’.
WITH THANKS TO: STEVE WATKINS
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