A 1973 T2, still turning heads.

There is a reason the VW Type 2 campervan has never really gone away. Produced from the 1950s through to the early 1980s, it became a symbol of freedom, community, and a particular kind of optimism about the open road. Decades after production ended, people still stop and stare, wave and, these days, pull out their phones.

Marigold rolled off the Hannover production line in 1973, the same year Concorde completed its first transatlantic crossing and Elton John was at number one. She is a Type 2 Late Bay (the second generation of VW's iconic Transporter), recognisable from a hundred metres by that broad, flat face and the chrome VW badge that sits like a smile at the front.

She is painted in golden yellow with white trim, and her interior holds cream leather seating and the kind of colourful curtains that could only belong to that era. Her type 4 engine has seen some miles and told some stories.

A significant period of her life was parked in a barn as a student's accommodation. After that came a stint with a pair of DJs who had visions of touring the country with their equipment. The touring never quite materialised. Marigold waited, patiently. She has finally landed in sunny Southend, where she has been given a new lease of life and is ready to make many more memories.