Perhaps it has been the fact that we are looking back to a certain normality or it may have been the large number of positive reviews that we have received from our clients in all these months... the fact is that these days we have gotten a little nostalgic and we wanted to look back to remember how these more than 30 years at the service of motorhomes. Do you want to review this story with us? Well join us in this article.
Year 1986: our journey begins
the year ran 1986 when Autocaravan Express was taking its first steps in its activity as a motorhome rental company. Specifically, on November 30 of that year we registered the first vehicle, a Boos Trotter 6-seater on FIAT Ducato 13, with which we began to carry out our activity in the Alpha campsite, which is still located today at kilometer 12 of the A4 motorway, in the province of Madrid.
El Boos Group, manufacturer of this motorhome model, was then the leader in the manufacture of these vehicles in Spain, with its facilities located in Galicia. The Troter model was the largest in the range, 6.45 m long, and it was safe, robust and very roadworthy, with great quality and a fairly avant-garde design at that time.
A year and a half later, in April 1988 we constituted ourselves as a legal entity, renaming ourselves Autocaravan Express, SA, the name that continues to accompany us today.
Distributors of different brands
Throughout these more than 30 years we have been official distributors of several brands in the sector. at the beginning of the year 1989 we started distributing French brand PILOTE, a company at the forefront that had launched its first motorhome in 1978, after an inspiring trip to the United States.
With this brand we went, for the first time, to a fair as exhibitors. It was in ExpoOcio, in March 1989, the event on leisure and free time that is held in Madrid. There we present Pilote's nasturtium models, among them the model R-380, which we had integrated into our fleet.
A year later, at the beginning of 1990, we get the distribution of prestigious German brand HYMER, the company founded by the visionary Erwin Hymer and largely responsible for the caravanning culture developing on a large scale in Europe. In 1992 we integrated, for the first time in our rental motorhome fleet, an all-round model from Hymer, the spacious Hymermobile-554.
1994, the year we became a manufacturer
Year 1994 It was very special for us and it arrived loaded with novelties. In the first place, we left the Alpha campsite to move to what, today, are our facilities, located at km. 24 of the A-1 motorway, in San Sebastián de los Reyes.
But, in addition, we made our foray into the manufacturing world of motorhomes, in a workshop in Portugal, which we name with the brand ZENITH. This adventure led to the market launch of three models: 2004-B, 2005-AN and 2006-DD, with 4, 5 and 6 seats, respectively.
It was not the only experience manufacturing vehicles-housing. A few years later, in 2000, for the first time we incorporated into our rental fleet the first camper model manufactured by us in our workshop, under the brand CAR-2 on short FIAT Ducato, 5,05m long. We maintained our own manufacturing activity until 2006.
New distribution brands
Throughout this time, one of our main objectives has always been seek the highest quality in vehicles that we offer to our customers, which has led us to work on the distribution of different brands to find the models that best fit the needs of our customers.
Thus, in 1995 we began to distribute and rent the brand Esperia, which was how the Italian brand was known in Spain BIG GRAND. Two years later, in 1997, we incorporated for sale and rent another Italian brand of the same Granduca group: auto roller, with models of 4, 5, 6 and 7 seats.
Bet on German brands
After testing with these different brands, the robustness, insulation and reliability of the German brands led us to bet, definitively, on the hymer group. Starting in 2002, our entire fleet was made up of motorhomes of this brand, to which we gradually incorporated the most cutting-edge models.
Thus, in 2006, arrived at our fleet the first profiled motorhome of the German brand, the Hymer “Van”, as well as the first Comprehensive model on Mercedes-Benz with automatic transmission.
From 2010 and up to today, our rental fleet and the distribution of vehicles for sale is integrated, exclusively, by the Hymer group brand, CARADO, with capuchina, profiled and integral models, as well as campers and large volumes.
A foray into the advertising world
To end this little review of our history we tell you a curiosity: our foray into the advertising world. Between 2004 and 2005two major companies Coke and Microsoft, counted on our fleet of vehicles to carry out their business promotions.
For this, our vehicles were vinyled with the images of the brand, traveling the roads of our country with the appearance that you can see in the image. Very refreshing!
Do you want to see more images of the vehicles that have been part of our fleet over these more than 30 years? Do not miss the gallery that we show you below!
