Thirty-four years ago my Syncro was born in Germany and shortly after it became an Australian through adoption by a Sydney TRAKKA family. Its non metallurgical adopters aspired an adventurous career for their new adopted family member and thus with much plastic surgery they created a traveller with purpose and attitude and named it Syncro Campervan TRAKKA. Before I welcomed it into my family six years ago I believe it was cared for by an Australian Geographical type camera crew which valued Syncro’s hiking skills, four seat arrangement and, an on board fridge for keeping photography films cool during exploratory nature trips. Its other attributes such as sleeping and cooking amenities were ignored. Many years later Syncro moved away and lived with a young couple who were into surfing along the east coast. Syncro was able to get them to beach places difficult and was able to accommodate surf boards and marine stuff. Strangely, the couple also chose not to use Syncro’s sleeping quarter; that was for tired and resting surfboards and, the cooking and fridge amenity was again ignored. A portable chest fridge simply sat on the floor. By the time Syncro attained 28 years of Van life it had wheeled only 155,000 kms (about 5,500 kms per year). And then I came along.
Syncro appeared in excellent condition. Van life had been good and not stressful except for a minor rear wheel arch blemish. However, with my younger bushwalking days and five years experience of outback travelling/working during the early 1970s thriving and living with old battered Beetles I knew Syncro needed some beefing up for its many trips to come. Heavy Duty everything: alternator, shocks, axles, CVs, engine (grunt), brakes, gear shift, batteries (lithium), night vision, springs, starter motor, diffs (Peloquin), wheels, tyres, ground clearance (265mm), indestructible solar panels and many other tweaks (passion overrides pennies). Syncro will never win a beauty contest yet the beast has got me to wherever I want or need. That is the history of my Syncro in a few minutes reading.
So, perhaps when enjoying a Syncro: viewing, driving, camping, think about its history because it’s certainly old enough to have one.
) but I couldn’t love him more and can’t wait for my bday camping trip, just a couple weeks away.
