Join us as we take a moment to look back at an incredible build from years previous: our bespoke 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter conversion.

An incredibly successful business owner, we were first approached by Mr B in 2018, who wished to fulfil a lifelong dream of travelling the world with his wife. Mr B had purchased a brand new 4×4 Sprinter, factory fitted with an incredible specification list of extras. Having recently sold his business at the time, we set about working incredibly closely together to create his dream vehicle… the ULTIMATE self-supported adventure van.

Mr B had designed the layout himself, creating his own reduced scale mock-up from cardboard. Whilst this was certainly a first for us, it proved utterly invaluable during the build process from start to finish. With a keen eye for detail, Mr B had taken the time to carefully select and source his own parts from across the globe, ensuring absolutely everything was to his taste.

It goes without saying, this vehicle brought new meaning to the term ‘bespoke’…

Beginning with the groundwork of the build, initially a large water tank installed behind the rear wheels. This would provide long-term water storage solutions for off-grid adventures, without the need to worry about regular stops to refill. Deployable side steps were also fitted to the exterior of the vehicle, wired to extended when the cabin doors were opened. Other exterior features also include OEM+ off-road wheels and tyres, a roof racking system and a NWCC Thule awning.

Powering the conversion behind the scenes, a huge Victron lithium system was then installed by the NWCC Team. It’s safe to say, this was a huge learning curve for us. Whilst used heavily on conversions throughout the US, it took some adjusting for us to get used to working with this system!

Countless hours were spent on the kitchen setup and furniture design. It was imperative for Mr B that these were of a practical size, creating the perfect “home away from home”. Maximising the space, the New Wave team engineered a large amount of the kitchen to be hidden; with a multitude of pull our drawers, bins and even a pull out toilet! Onboard food was kept cool by an enormous Dometic cool box, and we installed Corian work surfaces throughout for a premium finish with hard wearing qualities. Supplied by Mr B, a Roadchef oven was also installed as part of the kitchen build.

Moving to the rear, the bed was installed over the rear axle of the vehicle. In order to create room for a lateral sleeping space, ‘Flare Space’ side pods were imported from the USA and installed. Below the read double bed, the garage space was finished in CNC’d black Hex Board, with a 1-of-1 pull out drawer for bikes, skis and other toys! Our NWCC bed brackets were used to support the sleeping platform on this build, which are also available to purchase via the New Wave shop. Due to the nature of the build, we commissioned a custom sized mattress to be made, maximising the available space without the confinement of traditional bedding sizes.

Other internal touches include bespoke upholstery from the NWCC Trim Shop, with fine black nappa leather, a grey top stitch and custom CNC centre panelling.

It’s safe to say, this van truly was a labour of love for us. With thousands of hours spent in development and build, we were so pleased with the finished vehicle… as were Mr & Mrs B!