LAIKA 500
The story of Laika begins in 1964, the year the company came into being. It was the age of space exploration and of discovering the unknown. The founder, Giovambattista Moscardini, was fascinated by those adventures, which opened up new horizons of knowledge. That is also why the company is named after the first dog sent into space. The logo chosen accordingly was the red winged greyhound.
1964 was also the year of the first caravan model, the little “500”. It was so small that it could be towed by a Fiat 500.
Technical data :
A force of 4kg needed to open the caravan
3 berths
Length 2.31 Length with drawbar 3.00 Width 1.72 Height closed 1.55 Height open 2.25 Interior height 1.90
Handbrake with overrun brake
Total weight when loaded 300kg
Child’s bed 1.70 x 0.70 (extendable to 2.10) Double bed 1.90 x 1.15
Kitchen unit Cooker with 2 burners Sink with draining board Shelves and drawers Water tank with pump
Price 650’000 Lire
How it was built
Body: polyester resin reinforced with glass fibre. The walls are sandwich panels with a core of expanded polyurethane against noise and heat. The resins are coloured through – nothing is painted, and the caravan can stay outdoors permanently.
Lifting: mechanical, by chains running in steel tubes on ball bearings. The crank plugs in at the rear. It takes 4 kg of effort and a few minutes.
Ventilation: an air gap runs right around the perimeter between the lower shell and the raised upper one. Added to that a rear window and a side window, both opening, and a roof vent.
Chassis: tubular steel section, independent suspension on swinging arms mounted in rubber. The wheels are the same as the Fiat 500’s.
Beneath these figures the brochure closes with two words: Brevetti Laika.
The hunting version
The cover lists «Caccia» alongside «Campeggio» and «Sport». That was not a turn of phrase. For hunting and fishing there was a gun rack and an ammunition box, and because the roof vent opens wide the caravan served as a hide – the brochure names two shooting positions.
What it cost
The caravan 650,000 lire, the tow hitch 18,000 lire, the awning on request. One third with the order, the rest in instalments to be agreed.
How it was received in 1964
In 1964 the magazine Epoca ran a feature on «the smallest caravan in the world». Road testing was done on the hills near Florence; the workshop turned out one a day on average.
One point in it remains open. Epoca writes of the Moscardini brothers and its headline speaks of «two Tuscan craftsmen». Laika itself still names Giovambattista Moscardini as sole founder. Both accounts stand as they are.
How it was advertised
The brochure advertises it with «ideale per le velocità» and the words Turismo, Veloce, Week End.
