John Britten's motorhome on display in caravan exhibit
Backyard visionary John Britten’s name is synonymous with innovation and engineering excellence. Discover the motorhome John Britten built, now on display here at Bill Richardson Transport World.
Christchurch-born Britten made his mark on the world stage thanks to his revolutionary, New Zealand-made motorcyles – the largest collection on public display in the world can be found at our sister museum, Classic Motorcycle Mecca – but his foray into tinkering began long before Daytona.
Britten restored his first motorcycle when he was in his teens, but it was in his early twenties that he took a 1926 International chassis and turned it into a truly unique motorhome.
Between 1972 and 1975, John purchased the chassis and set about to transforming it into a motorhome for his travels around the South Island.
Tapping into his penchant for creating almost anything (did you know Britten even had a stint working as a glass blower?), everything inside is handmade. All of the woodwork and engineering, including the califont for heating the water, was all made by Britten himself.
On the sides are two hinged wooden doors, which serve as windows. You’ll even discover some beautiful stained glass on the rear of the motorhome.
This motorhome is a particularly special, and certainly extraordinary, part of our Kiwi Camping Adventures winter exhibit here at Bill Richardson Transport World: on display until August 31.