For some strange reason I quite enjoy quirky looking motor homes from the late 1960s and 1970s. Manufacturers were still experimenting with body styles and construction methods at the time. The timber and siding square box style seems to thumb its nose at aerodynamic considerations as well as offers quite a contrast to the fiberglass or aluminum marshmallow styles. When I first drove by this vintage RV I assumed it was of the plywood and siding club but it appears to be a little more strange than that.
A closer look at the front revels this rig’s possible origins. It looks very much like a bumper pull travel trailer with some addition windows added along with a crude radiator grill and lighting. I suspect a trailer trailer was placed on a commercial chassis and converted to a motor home. The Chevrolet hub cap perhaps indicates a General Motors power train.
Photo credit: http://www.saabsunited.com/
The home built Saab 92H was a similar idea executed in 1963 with a only a meager 28hp engine for motivation. Further reading at pinupsandkustoms.com on these two fascinating vehicles.
I would lean towards the home built angle on this example as well as there are no obvious manufacturer marking on the exterior of the unit. The wheel well cut out do look really nicely done so I suppose a trailer manufacturer could have created it from new as a way to dip their toe into the motor home market. What do you think – factory built or home made?
If that is home made it looks well done. Don’t know if this RV has its original frame or if it is riding a GM C/K frame.
The Saab 92H looks cute and quirky like a Furby scampering about.
With very few exceptions, all RV sit on a a complete rolling chassis/frame from a truck manufacturer. Nobody built their own frames.
What are the exceptions? I bet they were interesting.
Yup; like the airplane-type Corvair-powered Ultravan, several Toronado-powered motorhomes, the FWD Cortez; all of which I’ve written up here, because they’re more interesting than the convention truck-chassis motorhomes.
The wheelbase and track of each look disturbingly small.
Perhaps that’s further evidence of this not being purpose-built, as one would think it would have wider axles in that case (and, concurrently, no skirting to the front wheel arches).
RVs from this era are always interesting though. They’re usually ugly, but they’re so functional without much regard to things like aerodynamics or “styling”.
That’s typical of RVs from this era. They bought a truck chassis, and framed up as big of a box as possible to maximize interior space. All the old ones like the early Winnebagos look like that.
It sure looks like the design evolved from a travel trailer. My guess is that it was manufactured by the trailer company or professionally converted. If someone built it at home in their spare time, it sure is well done. Nothing stands out as being “repurposed”.
For example: The angle of the front side window seems to match the angle of the “A-pillar” perfectly. The body looks to have been extended down further to hide the truck chassis it sits on, but the entire lower beige section matches and also matches the beige band in the middle.
I doubt it was a trailer. Would have been tough to “fill in” the wheelwell that would have been in the center.
I’d almost bet that someone will name the make and model within the next ten posts and also that that person lives or lived within 100 miles of Elkhart, Indiana, the apparent spiritual home of all things travel trailer and RV related.
For some reason I’m reminded of those old ads from the back of Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated “Be a man! Build your own motorhome, helicopter, stunt plane, race car, centrifuge, etc for only $500!!!”
99.9% certain it wasn’t converted from a travel trailer. I’ve seen a few of those, and they’re very obvious.
During the seventies RV boom, there were untold numbers of small manufacturers, some very small, that wanted to get in on the gold rush, which soon evaporated. This looks like a rig from a small manufacturer, and if you’d look really closely, somewhere on the body there’s probably a manufacturer’s plate and certification that it meets certain requirements to be licensed.
There’s a very small chance that it’s home-built, as an ambitious builder could theoretically have taken that on. But the color scheme and other details reek of a small builder, one who probably also built trailers, and thus followed the basic lines.
I’ve seen similar rigs like this from that era. I try to shoot and document them, because they are relics from a time when RVs were often still built in very small little Mom & Pop facilities.
Oddly enough, I’ve considered modifying a few pull-behinds to be self-motivating. I’d probably throw the FWD V8 sub-assembly from a Lincoln Continental or the like on it to keep the floor nice and low, like the GM Motorhome did by using a Toronado FWD setup.
Big thing is figuring out the best location to attach in order to avoid having too much/too little vehicle weight on the driven wheels.
I suspect that if I scored a ludicrously cheap Airstream (or clone) I’d be outside converting even as we speak.
It’d probably end up being one of those projects that you find out is unfinishable halfway through, but you keep going, because “we’ve sunk so much money into this thing, and damn it all if we ain’t gonna keep going!”
most likely the result of a small travel trailer manufacturer having a go at the motorhome market. possibly a pre-production prototype and thus no brand name. by the way I think the Saab 92H is just about the coolest thing I have seen lately.
Woe unto whomever should manage to hit an oncoming (bird, rock, etc) at highway speeds. Or at least, I *hope* that’s safety glass in that front window!
Put me down as one more vote for factory-built. It may be an unimaginative design, but the details seem to suggest that it wasn’t built in some guy’s backyard.
Most likely factory built. A lot of the 70’s factory built motorhomes looked like they were built in someones back yard. I would rather own a class C with a van front end and cab.Or even better one with a pickup front and and cab. That way you will have some real protection in case of an accident. Kevin’s camper rebuild is a good article to read to see the sticks, staples, and thin aluminum that holds them together.
I meant Keith Thelan’s article, sorry.
Guarantee that’s factory built, and I’ll bet it’s a Georgie Boy. Look at this pic… very similar, ahem, “styling” and construction.
It has a close relation wandering around here that is definitely home built, this one could go either way its quite well done.
Considering the sketcy financials of many RV manufacturers over the years, maybe it is possible in an effort to reduce costs that the builder of this beauty economized by using a similar design for both their motorhomes and travel trailers.
It looks like it would be awful to drive- those A pillars are wide enough to block out a bus!
Not unlike the huge A pillars on my Honda Fit. The ones on modern passenger cars are masked from the outside by blacked out portions of the glass.
More 1973 Georgie Boy (thanks for the ID, Roger!):
http://www.viewrvs.com/motorhome/georgieboy/1973/1973_georgieboy_a.php
🙂
I spotted a very close relative of that in Bozeman, Montana today.
It’s a factory made 1974 Conestoga. Chevy chassis with a 350 small block.
Made in Lethbridge, Alberta.
How do I know? I have one.
I would be happy to help if you want to write a follow up to this article.
Contact me if you wish.
I don’t know if talk are still interested? These were factory made. I’m going to pick one up today that’s been unmolested. It’s got a name on the front I will send picture of I can.