Twist of fate

It’s a unique caravan, but the Harmon Industries Shadow wasn’t destined for commercial greatness.

In the 1970s, there were all sorts of caravan options available in the USA, but this lesser-known outfit, based in Warrensburg, Missouri, came up with the strange (and ill-fated) idea of mounting a trailer to the roof of your vehicle.

Now, a fifth-wheel trailer, which Harmon’s Shadow resembled, was not exactly innovative and was already several decades old by the ’70s. Also, if your bakkie’s load bed was suitably equipped, then you could tow a fifth wheel trailer.

But the Shadow was aimed at those who drove regular hatchbacks and family sedans. At the heart of its one-size-fitsall concept was a steel plate that housed the hitch, which was in turn bolted to brackets that fitted your car’s gutter rails. It was basically a support platform, and there were three sizes of the Shadow available: 18, 23 and 27 foot.

You could therefore match the trailer to your needs and the size of your towing vehicle. Harmon Industries also made bare shells available, so you could retrofit an interior to your liking, or simply have them do it for you from scratch. The price in 1971 for the 18-foot Mini Shadow shell was $1 700, while a fully equipped 27-foot Shadow 1 model was $6 500.

Back then, the rand was stronger than the dollar, and these figures would have been R1 207 and R4 615 respectively in our money. The main benefit of this setup is that it’s so much more manoeuvrable, as the car essentially turns underneath the front of the trailer, eliminating the dreaded jackknife when you’re trying to reverse a caravan into a tight spot.

The manufacturer also claimed that their concept was a breeze to tow in terms of handling and that there were no reported adverse aerodynamic effects during testing, such as buffeting and general wind noise.

The completed interior, when you opted for it, was also suitably appointed for the time. There’s thick carpeting, a vintage rotary dial telephone, and a kitchen complete with dual sinks and a small built in oven. The only problem was that cars were not – and still aren’t – meant to pull loads with their roofs. Who knows what kind of stress the caravan would have put on your A, B, and C pillars? Still, Harmon Industries claimed that they managed to cover more than 500 000 damage free miles during testing and development.

There aren’t many of these caravans on the market, even in its home country, and it is probably one best left to the history books.

Harmon Industries Shadow and a small tow car.

Shadow hitch set-up

Shadow kitchen.