The Amazing Folding Mini-Motel Caravan of 1959

Somewhat forgotten in automobile history is the fantastic folding Mini-Motel caravan from 1959. The Mini-Motel was originally produced by a company called Portaplas based in Emsworth, Hampshire.

Company founders Brian James and Ron Nugent are proud of their creation which can be set up in just a minute. Wow, that’s ten times as fast as most people take getting dressed!

The Mini-Motel model, which was was priced at £268 at the time (a little over £4,000 today), was quickly replaced by a much larger model called the Portafold.

Here’s a page from the first ever brochure for the Portafold model.

And here's a vintage promotional clip which claims “Even a moron, mechanically speaking, can fix it up in a matter of minutes,” the voice-over presenter eloquently notes. “Four retractable legs provide a firm base for the caravan and prevent it from rolling inadvertently out to sea in the middle of the night.”