We all love to reminisce so it was a delight to unearth this piece of Towsure's history from 29 years ago - a near pristine copy of the 1992 Towsure catalogue, with the trailer parts of the time.
Towing & Caravanning Equipment in the 1990's
In the early 90s it was still common practice for many people to fabricate their own trailers, utilising pre-made trailer chassis or from steel box and angle, adding corner posts, hinges and suspension units manufactured and sold by Towsure. Tongue and groove trailer bodies needed more weatherproofing and maintenance, and were heavy but didn't they look great? If you didn't have the facilities to make your own trailer you could buy a pre-made trailer, varnished and ready to tow from our bright red showroom which looks as though it ought to be along a sea front. And look at the Towsure Bedford Midi vans - a once ubiquitous van larger than the now better known Rascal - just 17 registered Midi vans remain in the UK today according to stats site howmanyleft.co.uk.
In the early '90s it was common to utilise reclaimed hubs from end of life vehicles, sourced from recycling centres, or scrapyards as they were termed then, to use on trailers and the Towsure range included suspension units with stub axles to suit many common but ageing vehicles ripe for parts repurposing, such as the BL Mini & Metro, Ford Escort Mk's I & II and the Cortina.
Towbar fitting was a different affair back in '92 also - traditional towbars often were constructed in a cruciform with a steel strap reinvorcing the vehicle rear panel or a crossbar between bumper irons, to which a central strut passing under the vehicle to a chassis crossmember was fitted. Wiring was a less complex affair too, with just the occasional Scandinavian vehicle having a bulb failure warning system, but with most vehicles, the car had an easily accessible wiring loom to which the towbar electrics could be easily spliced into. Nowadays with can-bus systems and vehicles in general having a higher level of interior trim to dismantle to gain access, towbar fitting is perhaps a job best left to the professionals, which is why in modern times, Towsure's mobile towbar fitting service is so popular.
A range of camping and caravanning accessories was much smaller in choice and range than the wide selection on offer from Towsure in the 21st century, but covered the essentials that you would need for your camping trip - no satellite dishes, flat screen TV's or wi-fi extenders to be seen!
You can take a trip into times past with the 1992 catalogue online below:
What was Happening in the World in 1992?
When this catalogue was hot of the presses, some things that were happening don't seem like nearly 3 decades ago. Perhaps you remember some of these events as though they were yesterday?
Nigel Mansell's 26th Grand Prix Win
Securing his place in the history books, Nigel Mansell became the most succesful British Grand Prix driver with his 26th Grand Prix win at Imola, San Marino
Windsor Castle Fire
In this year which was described by The Queen as an "annus horribilis", a fierce blaze tore through historic Windsor Castle, starting in Queen Victoria's Private Chapel, triggered by a faulty spot lamp, destroying 115 rooms. Amazingly only 2 historic works of art were destroyed, luckily many pieces had been already removed in anticipation of rewiring work due to take place.
Cold War Formally Ended
RIA Novosti archive, image #859348 / Dmitryi Donskoy / CC-BY-SA 3.0, , via Wikimedia Commons
In February 1992, U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin met at the Camp David presidential retreat where both parties officially declared the end of the Cold War. In the month previously, Prime Minister John Major had agreed a new weapons control deal with the Russian Premier.
Women's Royal Army Corps Disbanded
The WRAC which had grown from the WWII era Women's ATS was disbanded in 1992, with servicewomen officially becoming a part of the regular British Army
Compact Discs Outsell Audio Cassettes
For the first time, in the United States, compact discs sold more units than the compact cassette, a milestone which confirmed the establishment of the CD as the preferred format of the time
Church of England votes to allow Women Priests
The ordination of women as priests was fassed by the CofE's general synod in 1992, with the first 32 female priests being ordained in 1994
Nirvana's Nevermind reaches #1 in the US Billboard chart
Firmly establishing the poularity of the Grunge genre, Nirvana's album became an unexpected success and remains one of the most acclaimed albums of all time.
The Bodyguard beaten to Highest Grossing Film by Disney's Aladdin
The thriller staring Whitney Houston in her acting debut and Kevin Costner, despite being listed as "one of The 100 Most Enjoyable Bad Movies Ever Made" by the Golden Raspberry Awards, was a a soaraway box-office success with a record breaking UK Christmas opening - but was beaten to the highest grossing position by Disney's 31st animated feature film, Aladdin
Manchester United win the League Cup for the First Time
WIth a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Alex Ferguson's side lifted the trophy for their first time, it would be another 14 years before they would win the competition again
