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ARIANE
& ECLIPSE
(Click
pictures for larger image)
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Ariane
owners appraisal |
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The Ariane is a coachbuilt
4berth motorhome. which was designed to combat the cheap continental
imports, as with its sister van the Eclipse, both are built on the
T1400 chassis powered by the 2 litre carburettor engine equipped
with the excellent Rennix electronic ignition system. or one of
the Renault diesel engines.
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The
interior layout is very similar to the Autoquest 270 which was built
on the Sevel chassis and thus has a rear door with a central aisle
- to the right ,shower and toilet cubicle, next the 4-seater dinette.
To the left, wardrobe, hob and grill, sink with drainer, then a useful
34" length of worktop. under. all of this is a good selection
of cupboards and the three way refrigerator, one of the cupboards
contains the carver boiler which makes it a small but effective airing
cupboard. above the worktop is a double "glass" fronted
cupboard which contains the all important bottle cups and glasses. |
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Above the kitchen area are
two good sized lockers, one of which contains the crockery rack.
There are three similar sized lockers above the dinette. all of
these lockers have fiddle rails along their top front edges which
makes good storage for maps and books etc. Forward of all of this
is the overcab bed. in my opinion, only suitable for children,
as the head height is only 20" but with two on board it provides
good storage space for bedding etc. the dinette seats make up
into a double bed. A 70 litre water tank lives under the forward
seat and the propex unit under the rear seat.
Dimensions: length
= 5.24 metres Width = 2.1 metres Height = 2.1 metres
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| Eclipse
owners
appraisal
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In modern terms it’s quite
short, 16Ft 9inches[5.2Mtrs], but It had to fit our drive. It
has a 2.0ltr petrol engine, which is rather thirsty. Initial power
problems have been resolved and we can now cruise at 55mph with
some degree of economy.
We like the side wall
loungers at the rear, giving some separation from the centre kitchen
area, and flat beds at night. It
is well balanced over the rear wheels, the vehicle rear springs
never look stressed.
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It has a 2 burner
gas cooker with grill, I fitted a low power microwave in the cabinet
below the cooker, it doesn't draw excessive current.
There were no blinds or fly screens, just cloth curtainsThe only
lights fitted in the ceiling are quite good, but not satisfactory
for reading. I fitted two plane cabin, corner lights below the balustrades.
There are two balustrade style shelves, the top one was removed
and lockers built into the positions. The doors match the originals.
The small washroom with cassette toilet suits us, we rarely use
the shower as most sites have facilities, when used it’s quite good,
but it won’t be a habit, as I’m suspicious of the washroom seals.
The gas locker has room for two 2.7kg Campingaz bottles, hook-up
cable, waste and drinking water hose pipes, and toilet fluid bottles.
Care is taken when on site to ensure the floor gas vent is not covered.
I fitted Arm rests to the cab passenger seat, my wife never felt
secure. Seat belts are only fitted to passenger and driver's seat,
making the vehicle suitable for two people.
Cab area carpets have been fitted, to reduce road noise, increasing
visual and travelling comfort.
It has proved to be very comfortable and car like to drive.
There is a vast amount of "ECLIPSE" information,
modifications and other work on the owners website at: www.eclipsehistory.org.uk
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