Sprite Touring Caravans

Sprite Caravans was founded by Sam Alper OBE, who also founded the Little Chef roadside restaurants. The first Sprite caravans were made in 1948 and in 1951 he towed his caravan to the international caravan rally in Florence, Italy. This was a deliberate publicity stunt to show how easily his caravan could be pulled by an average family car. The publicity which followed launched the business.

Sprite are now owned by Swift Leisure and there is a new 2013 range on the market. See their latest brochure (pdf).

The Sprite Caravan Owners' Club was founded in 1959 and is still going strong, although it is now called the Sterling Caravan Owners Club.

Swift Group Limited, Dunswell Road, Cottingham, East Yorkshire, HU16 4JX
Telephone: 01482 875740
Fax: 01482 841042
Web: http://www.swiftgroup.co.uk
Email: enquiry@swiftgroup.co.uk
Parts: http://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/customer-care/find-a-dealer
Twitter: @swiftgroup

Sam Alper
Sam Alper was a keen philanthropist who sent caravans overseas to aid in disaster relief programmes. During the Second World War Sam Alper served in the Navy where he maintained the electrics on Swordfish biplanes. This introduction of military aircraft is the reason why his first Swift caravan, built in 1947, included the brakes from a Spitfire and a roof made from barrage balloon material. Within a year Sam Alper had made his first commercial caravan, and he named it the Sprite. He was awarded an OBE in 1966 for his services to exports after winning the Queen's Awards for Enterprise. He died on October 2, 2002, aged 78.