Fun ‘tent-in-a-car’ wins design praise

9:20am Friday 8th August 2008

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A graduate design student from Steeton has received praise for her off-the-wall car design.

Sarah Hellewell, 22, who has just graduated with a 2.1 degree in transportation design from Northumbria University, has received widespread attention after designing a car with a fold-away tent in the roof.

Her creation has been featured at the New Designers Exhibition, at the Business Design Centre, in Islington, where a London businessman admired it and said an American contact may be interested in reproducing it.

The car, aimed at the over-40s, contains everything needed for short trips away.

A hot plate folds out from the front grill of the car while a drawer pulls out of the tailgate to reveal a sink and drying rack.

The canvas and poles are stored in a specially created roof space and a drawer at the back of the car provides space for crockery and other essential items.

The canvas is used to create two separate rooms - one area for sleeping and the other for relaxing - which fold around the vehicle. But the car can be driven away for outings, leaving the tent structure standing.

The car seats are detachable so can be used out of doors and torches in the roof of the car can either be used as spotlights or removed to use as torches.

Sarah said: "Someone has approached me in London and asked me to speak to them because they like the product. Hopefully, it will turn into something and make me some money - I just have to cross my fingers.

"I decided to design a car and I did not want to do anything serious and boring because I wanted to have fun doing it so I thought I'd combine it with camping.

"I used to go camping a lot when I was younger and I enjoyed it. With the current economic climate and thinking about the environment, I thought it would be good to encourage people to go camping. In the project I had to justify every decision that I made, I couldn't just design a car.

"I've always loved camping and the outdoors and that was my inspiration, as I wanted to create a car that you could simply drive off in spontaneously and spend a few nights in away from home.

"It would encourage people to go camping and enjoy the countryside, especially people whose families have grown up and who have more time for such trips.

"It would save all the trouble of squeezing tents and equipment into the boot and is also less expensive than a camper vehicle."

Sarah's creation was also on show at Reveal, an exhibition of design students at Northumbria University. Sarah plans to apply for jobs in interior and trim in London.