Apollo × Neil Laughton

From rough notes and a coffee to a road‑ready companion built for big ideas and bigger miles.

The day the brief arrived

Neil Laughton doesn't waste words. On our first call he said, in essence: "I need a van that just works — hot tea, hot shower, gear where I left it, and the power to keep moving." No drama, no gimmicks. That clarity set the tone for everything that followed.

We called the build Apollo — a nod to purposeful engineering, not shiny brochures. The goal was resilience you can feel: doors that shut with a thunk, switches you can use with cold hands, and systems that keep ticking when plans change.

Meet Neil — the quiet kind of relentless

Neil's the sort of person who treats a map like a to‑do list. Before we ever turned a screw on Apollo, he'd already stacked a lifetime of adventures: summit days in thin air, long miles in deserts, sea crossings, charity rides on Victorian‑era bicycles, and a knack for turning "impossible" into "interesting".

He's a former British Army officer, an entrepreneur and expedition leader who has organised and led dozens of journeys across seven continents. He completed the Explorers Grand Slam (the Seven Summits plus both Poles), climbed Everest in the late '90s with his friend Bear Grylls, piloted the world's first road‑legal flying car on the Skycar Expedition from London towards Timbuktu, and later founded the Penny Farthing Club.

What Neil asked for (the human brief)

• Zero faff: Controls you don't need to explain twice.
• True off‑grid: Power, heat and water that feel abundant, not anxious.
• Hard‑use interior: Wipe‑clean surfaces, bomb‑proof fixings, quiet storage.
• Real security: Kit stowed, tied down and out of sight.
• Serviceability: If something needs attention, you can actually reach it.

Apollo's exterior: purposeful engineering, not shiny brochures

Building Apollo for the way life really happens

We engineered from the inside out:

• Layout you can navigate half‑asleep: Clear zones for driving, cooking, sleeping and stowage so nothing competes.
• Weight‑smart materials: Strong where it counts, light where it can be. Keeps Apollo responsive and payload honest.
• Electrics that behave: A properly‑sized lithium bank and inverter/charger system with alternator, shore and solar inputs — labelled, accessible and monitored from a single, intuitive screen.
• Heat & hot water that just… work: Quick warm‑up, low noise, easy servicing.
• Water you can trust: On‑board filtration with Water 2 for safer fills on the move.
• Exterior work/scene lighting: Because campsites and lay‑bys don't come with floodlights.

The Bear moment

When Neil first showed Apollo to his friend Bear Grylls, the thing that sparked an immediate grin wasn't the paint or the wheels — it was the Water 2 filter plumbed neatly under the galley. It's a tiny detail that speaks volumes: in the field, confidence comes from the systems you barely notice.

Neil and Bear with Apollo

Bear spots the Water2 filter - the detail that matters

On the road

Apollo's job is to disappear into the background of a good day: kettle on, batteries healthy, kit exactly where you left it, and a cabin that goes from wet to warm fast. Ferry ramps, mountain passes, gravel access tracks — no drama. Just a dependable base that lets Neil focus on the reason he left home in the first place.

Selected highlights

Why builds like this matter

There are plenty of show vans. Apollo is different because it's engineered for use. Every choice strips friction from real travel — the kind made of early starts, late arrivals and weather that doesn't care about your plan.

Apollo represents what happens when serious adventure experience meets thoughtful engineering. No compromise, no drama — just a van that works when it matters most.

Thinking about your own build?

We design and build adventure vans for people who actually go. If that's you:

Start Your Design — Book a free 30‑minute consultation to talk through your trip, kit and timeline.

Request a Design Pack — We'll send our process, typical budgets and options.