TRAKKA - Recreation and Special Purpose Vehicles

The TRAKKA Story

TRAKKA is an Australian company, established in 1973, specialising in designing, engineering and building Recreation and Special Purpose Vehicles.

The company is based in Sydney and was founded by current Managing Director, Dave Berry in Neutral Bay. TRAKKA is owned and run at a personal level by Dave and Sally Berry who are keen campers and have grown the business to become one of the largest and most highly respected in its field. TRAKKA gained an enviable reputation right from the start due to high quality workmanship and innovative ideas.
	TRAKKA introduced features like swing-out stoves, swivel front seats, and plywood cabinets, as early as 1976, and has received accolades ever since, such as "it is the best conversion we have seen" by Overlander magazine (August 1978). Over the years TRAKKA has built up a top reputation for intelligent design and high quality camper conversions" Leader Leisure (Feb 2000) and "TRAKKA's usual high level of design and workmanship shows through" by Caravan & Motorhome magazine (May 2001).
Volkswagen based campers were the mainstay products of the 70's. Toyota entered the scene with a Camper version based on the early Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier offering true go anywhere ability. The Toyota HiAce in 79 with its front engine and access through the rear door enabled TRAKKA to offer a completely new range of Campers.
	Plywood furniture was the first initiative undertaken by TRAKKA in 1974 with its superior water resistance, strength and lightweight features compared to chipboard. Lightweight laminated plywood is still used today by TRAKKA where many manufactures are still using old kitchen type technology and compressed wood. TRAKKA was the first Campervan manufacturer to introduce battery powered compressor driven refrigerators in 1975. Compressor driven fridges are used almost exclusively throughout the industry today because of their high efficiency in a mobile situation.
	Cooking inside a Camper was the only alternative until TRAKKA arrived on the scene. TRAKKA introduced swing out stove units for the ultimate indoor/outdoor cooking experience.
Another feature introduced into Australia by TRAKKA was swivelling front seats. Swivel seats have been a feature of TRAKKA Volkswagen Campers since 1976. The benefit of this is the additional living area gained by utilising the travelling seat as part of the living area.
	'76 saw TRAKKA expand into Queensland and opened a second manufacturing operation at Northgate in Brisbane. TRAKKA Queensland assembled Volkswagen campers from kits produced in Sydney. This business rapidly increased its range to include HiAce and 4WD Landcruiser conversions. In 1977 TRAKKA introduced the first heat exchanger hot water system and shower for a Campervan… a luxury only previously found in larger Motorhomes… a luxury which is now fitted to 50% of TRAKKA's today.
Another important milestone in 1977 was for TRAKKA to expand to a larger 1,500m² facility in Chatswood, which enabled production to grow to cover the ever-increasing demand for Camper products. The first production Camper based on a 4WD was delivered out of the TRAKKA Chatswood complex in 1978 opening an opportunity for those wishing to explore the more inaccessible areas of Australia… and there were certainly plenty of them back then. The 4WD Camper was based on a Toyota Landcruiser and over 800 units have been produced since.
	The "pop top" roof has been a necessary feature on all Campervans since the early 70's because of the instant standing room they offered and extra ventilation. TRAKKA took the "pop top" roof to the next level by developing the first Gas Strut assisted roof in Australia in 1979. The roof back then was totally revolutionary and its design protected under a Patent for its first 16 years of production.
TRAKKA received an Australian Design Award for Campervan Design in 1980 based on the Toyota HiAce. Again TRAKKA included many of its own features such as the gas strut assisted roof, compressor driven fridge, plywood furniture, indoor/outdoor cooking and a revolutionary folding seat system that offered a combination of single or double bed.
	Refrigeration being one of the most important features of a Campervan was required to keep things cool using a minimal amount of energy… a very difficult task considering the temperature extremes experienced in the Australian Outback. In early 1983 our Research & Development team sent us on a roller coaster ride trying many different alternatives… one of the most unique was that of "eutectics". Eutectic refrigeration had been used successfully on boats for many years because of its very low power consumption. The system uses a special evaporator, which includes a tank filled with water/alcohol mix that freezes up and stays cold for longer periods without having to power up the fridge. The TRAKKA system that was developed used the standard air conditioning system in the vehicle that could be used for cooling the vehicle or fridge at a touch of a button.
1983 saw the release of the next generation of Volkswagen in Australia, T3. This vehicle took Campers into a whole new dimension… having a wider higher interior, more powerful engines, five speed and automatic transmission, water cooling and eventually the famous Syncro All Wheel Drive in 1988.
	In 1985 TRAKKA was approached by "indelB", an Italian fridge manufacturer that could supply a variant of what we were developing… a production version of a 12 volt powered eutectic system… TRAKKA has been using their refrigerators ever since… how is that for confidence!
Solar was the next revolutionary step… powering the Campers electrical system using only the suns energy… in 1985 most other manufactures thought we were crazy… but it works incredibly well and it probably took a good 10 years to get it accepted, but now there isn't one Campervan, Motorhome or Caravan manufacturer that doesn't offer this as an option.
	Campervans became more universally used as everyday transport, as well as around Australia escape machines… passenger safety became an all important factor… why should one compromise their safety because they travelled in a Campervan? Although TRAKKA had always been conscious of passenger safety, they embarked on a route to upgrade all their systems to the same standards as passenger vehicles. This required severe in-vehicle testing that gained TRAKKA full volume Australian Design Rule (ADR) certification from the Federal Office of Road Safety 1986… something many manufactures are still avoiding today because of cost and fear of failure!
The later part of the 80's saw TRAKKA expanded its operation in Queensland to include manufacturing larger Motorhomes. The first production Motorhome was produced in 1987 based on the then new LWB Toyota Coaster Bus. This RV offered full height standing room with a built-in shower and toilet recess.
	This expansion led to larger and more specialised 4WD Motorhomes based on cab chassis type vehicles. Early "B" Class Motorhomes were based on the Hino chassis followed by larger "A" Class Motorhomes that featured rooftop decks with internal access and Onan generators.
One of the finest examples of these custom-built Motorhomes was based on the Mercedes-Benz 4WD Unimog… the ultimate go anywhere RV.
	TRAKKA's expansion during the early 90's saw the Queensland operation consolidated with Sydney to increase efficiency and quality control. TRAKKA still runs an accessory and service centre out of the same site in Northgate.
Motor sport is the ultimate endurance testing ground for vehicle manufacturers. TRAKKA competed in the famous Sydney to Darwin Endurance Safaris 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1990 in Campervans… an invaluable testing ground for our products (Toyota Landcruiser and Volkswagen Campervan). We only intended entering the 85 event as an experiment, but we came back with so much important data, we kept on going. All TRAKKA Campers use the technology discovered during these events even today.
	In the 1990 Australian Safari TRAKKA entered one of its' Volkswagen Campers for the gruelling car-wrecking rally. Everyone laughed when the vehicle arrived for the start, and didn't believe it had a chance of finishing.
However, not only did the TRAKKA Camper complete the rigorous course, it won its class, and came 30th overall out of a field of 79 race-tuned rally machines and was the deciding factor for Volkswagen to win the "Overlander 4WD of the year".
	With the introduction of the latest T4 Volkswagen Transporter in 1992, TRAKKA could see the huge potential of the vehicle, and began to create a wide range of products to suit an extremely diverse market. Being a van with passenger-car safety and excellent handling qualities meant we could attract the family market.
A new range of Multivan and People Mover products were developed. Next, because of the Front Wheel Drive, we could do a lot more under the vehicle, including an under-floor hoist for Wheelchair access.
	The new Volkswagen T4 vehicle saw many Recreation and Special Purpose Vehicle variants produced, including the first complete wheelchair accessible vehicle in Australia in 1993, a Camping Car model with a fully moulded ultra lightweight interior and continued development of the gas strut assisted tilt elevating roof which included, for the first time, a one handed bonnet type latching system.
TRAKKA received full volume ADR Certification for many variants of the Volkswagen Transporter including SWB and LWB Campers, 3-8 seat people movers and 10 seat light omnibus conversions in 1995 (TRAKKA is still the only VW Camper, People Mover or Light Omnibus Certified in Australia).
	By the mid 90's TRAKKA was bursting at the seams with a huge increase in demand for its' products, which saw a need for a new purpose-built Head Quarters at Mt Kuring-gai, which was finalised in January 1999. Our new site covers an area of 8,000m² and has the potential capacity to handle over 1,000 vehicles per year. The manufacturing, administration, display area is immediately adjacent to the Berowra Bushland Reserve and the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The modern indoor showroom is situated right in the bushland setting and is still only 40 minutes north of the Harbour Bridge.
As TRAKKA moves into the 21st century and its 4th decade of Recreational Vehicles the new complex will enabled TRAKKA to build larger units and expand its Special Purpose Vehicle manufacturing division including Emergency, Specialised Transport Vehicles, Mobile Sales Offices and Laboratories.
	TRAKKA has introduced two models of RV's based on the Mercedes-Benz range of vehicles recently. The Jabiru Motorhome based on the Sprinter was introduced during 1999 followed soon after by the Kingfisher Camper based on the MB100 in 2000. The Jabiru offers new standards for Motorhomes while maintaining the ease of driving a smaller Camper, filling a void that existed between the pop-top Campers and the larger traditional Motorhome built on a cab chassis. The Kingfisher was a welcome addition into the Camper market, which set an unprecedented level of luxury features for Campers at under $50,000. The Kingfisher provides the chance to buy a brand new prestige camper with a 3-year warranty at a price similar to many second hand vehicles that may have travelled an extensive distance. Now it's really possible to turn commuting through the week into an adventure package at the weekend.
TRAKKA will add another model to its range in January 2002 based on the new Fiat Ducato, Europe's largest selling van for the RV market. The new Fiat is the "Torino" named after Italy's famous car capital Turin. The Torino will fill a very important segment of the RV market for compact vehicles under 6m in length but at the same time large enough to offer full standing room with a built-in toilet and shower.
	"Our ambition is to maintain TRAKKA as the most respected brand in Australia, not necessarily the biggest" Dave and Sally Berry