As we walked the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show last month we awarded our top design award to Project Yonder. We said as much in our review of the show written for MotorCaravanner Magazine.
Now it seems others have too. Charlie and Grace, the brains behind Project Yonder have won the ‘Van Conversions with a fixed roof over 6 metres’ category. It was the first time they had entered a Design Awardcompetition.
They were delighted to be voted top of this design award category ahead of established competitor brands, such as Adria and RP Motorhomes.
Their Freedom 4X campervan is a luxury class, gas-free, AWD campervan designed to go anywhere, off-grid.
Project Yonder was conceived by the couple who were inspired while touring Europe in their own DIY camper conversion. As a base vehicle they chose a Mercedes Sprinter LWB. It is 7 metres long and has a 4.1 tonne GVW. The 190 bhp, 2.0-litre turbodiesel features the 9-Tronic automatic transmission.
Expert judges
The design award judges, included experts such as: Martin Dorey MBE, the author of the ‘Take the Slow Road’ campervan travel books. And Nick Harding, a freelance journalist who has tested thousands of motorhomes over the last 35 years. Sammy Faircloth, author of The Caravan Handbook was also a judge. As was and Martin Spencer, Technical Manager of The Motorhome and Caravan Club.
They praised the Freedom 4X as: “an incredibly stylish and unique-looking van, like nothing else I’ve seen. And, “for off-grid adventures, this space age van meets the needs of an adventurous couple”. One judge concluded, simply: “I love this van. This is the future, and I love it.”
Stylish interior
Charlie and Grace are a young couple with a passion for go anywhere campervans.
They have designed a stylish interior available with a wide range of colours for the interior furniture. Plus a unique 10-inch Garmin touchscreen panel and app to control all lighting and appliances.
It has an end bedroom (with garage under), centre kitchen and washroom. And a front lounge. Insulated side pods extend the width of the bedroom to fit a memory foam mattress so taller people can sleep across the van.
Go anywhere
To enable it to go anywhere, the Freedom 4X has Rhino off-road wheels with BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres and Dutchvanparts spare wheel carrier, plus a wide range of accessories available to enhance its style and practicality: roof racks, cargo boxes, a side ladder, bike rack and spot lights, plus a Thule Omnistor awning and tent.
Other options include: E&P hydraulic levelling; VB air suspension; Oyster Connect WiFi and CYTRAC DX satellite; Truma air conditioning; a secondary Webasto diesel heater and a Nespresso machine.
For off-grid living, Project Yonder has chosen electric appliances (cooker, fridge, heating and hot water), plus an advanced solar and electrical system. That makes the Freedom 4X totally gas-free, so its owners are not reliant on having to refill gas tanks. It is also fully winterised with insulated floor and walls and heated fresh and waste water tanks.
Commenting on their design award, Charlie and Grace, the founders of Project Yonder said: “To win our category in the first awards competition we’ve ever entered is really exciting.
“We’re so grateful to get this level of recognition for our new Freedom 4X model. It makes all the months of hard work worthwhile,” they added.
Prices start from £156,872 (RWD) or £165,722 (AWD).
For more details of the Freedom 4X, follow Project Yonder on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, go to www.projectyonder.co.uk, call 01424 271121 or email hello@projectyonder.co.uk.