carrying the first Volkswagens to come to the United States. Both the Austin A90 and the Pons’ effort to introduce the Volkswagen to America were failures (at least initially), but that didn’t keep foreign companies from trying to sell goods here. Two trailer manufacturers—Berkeley Coachwork Ltd. of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England and Berger Caravan of Rotschwaige-Dachau Vor Munchen (American Zone), Germany—were among the interested exporters. Berkeley produced the largest-sized caravan in the English market in 1949 and also produced England’s largest number of trailers. It typically turned out thirtyfive units per week. One of the most popular models the company produced was the “Consul”. Berkeley advertised it as the “all-roads, all-climates trailer of your dreams.” Superior road-holding and
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superior braking were two of its heavily promoted features. The Consul included spacious luxury lounges, cozy bedrooms, a houseplanned kitchen and an acoustically insulated toilet room with a shower. Advertisements for the Consul showed the exterior, as well as two illustrations detailing its design and construction features. Incorporated into the Consul’s floor plan was a dressing table, a closet, an airing cupboard (it had a stove-pipe type air vent into the cupboard), space for a heating stove, a concealed pull-down bed, a fixed divan, a writing bookcase,
Berkeley produced the largest-sized caravan in the English market in 1949 and also produced England’s largest number of trailers.
