If this car looks a wee bit familiar, don’t worry, it’s (probably) not parked on your street. You likely last saw it as the lead image in Jason Shafer’s recap of the Midwest Meetup from earlier in the fall. He didn’t expound on it then but I had more pictures of it and figured the time is right.
This sighting took place a few hours after I had arrived and Mr. Shafer was chauffeuring me all over the greater St. Louis area to find a particular dinner venue he wanted to expose me to. After we located it and sated ourselves we took a different route back and noticed sort of a British car dealership/mechanic that looked interesting. Swinging around the back we headed into the parking lot and somehow drove right by this thing without noticing it until we were done looking at the Rolls-Royces and Bentleys in various states of distress and were heading back to the van.
It’s obviously a 2007 (or maybe a 2008?) Honda Fit that may have been inspired by a Great Dale House Car, wherein a fellow named Dale took cars that were damaged in the rear and crafted campers to the remains. At least that story makes sense, an undamaged Honda Fit has plenty of life and value left in it otherwise. We eagerly shared our pictures with Mr. Cavanaugh when we saw him the next day – If the recent rust repairs on his Honda Fit don’t hold up, perhaps he can just slice that part away and create something similar. Inspiration is everything.
The pie plate flap appears to hide the fuel filler based on where it’s located on the donor car, but I seem to remember some kind of vent or other outlet that reminded me of a stove pipe when I looked. I wish I had taken a picture of the area but didn’t want to touch the car itself. While the back looks like a single piece it actually has two levels! Like a Transformer, there is definitely more than meets the eye.
Here’s a shot through the untinted upper window into the master bedroom area. I was extremely nervous that there would be someone looking back at me when I got close, but I got lucky, it was vacant. It actually looks quite comfortable but really leaves me wondering what exactly is on the lower level. Is it a parlor? A living room with a cozy chair or recliner? Storage space? Or maybe a kitchen? Or just a place for more oily bits? We shall likely never know as I didn’t have a legal and socially acceptable way of finding out.
The construction seemed quite well done, the corrugated metal even looks hip in a Citroen H-van way and is surely durable. Looking at it more at this time leaves me thinking that it probably started life as a pickup truck topper and then had the sides added, perhaps along with the windows near the front.
Opening the doors likely gives access to both levels. The sloping floor looked like it was fixed in place. It’d be neat if was hinged like a C-130 Hercules’ loading ramp and it could act as a mini-toy-hauler. Then again, the Fit is pretty mini already, what would fit back there, maybe a BigWheel?
This side shows an alternate set of hubcaps that look to me like they are original Honda Fit ones. The jaunty splash graphic is cool, nothing like adding a dash of personalization and whimsy to something already so…personalized and whimsical I suppose.
Safety first! I guess the regular mirror didn’t cut it anymore with the huge appendage on the back. In any case, that concludes our (exterior) tour of one of the neater little motorhomes I’ve seen recently.
From looking at the pictures from the back it doesn’t appear to have been rear ended in the traditional manner. The impact bar looks to be in perfect condition. Of course that doesn’t mean it wasn’t rear ended by someone in a lifted vehicle that hit well above the impact bar. Or possibly a tree fell on the back half.
That is definitely a truck canopy as the main upper portion with the included barn door panel. Seems like a great shortcut to get a weather proof roof, doors and windows. I’m not sure about the wedge in front of it, having the window, particularly one of the slider types might be nice.
All in all it looks like a nice effort though I have to wonder how ponderous it is to drive.
I think the wedge was put there to extend the space in order to sleep more comfortably(ability to stretch out) I think you slept with your head in the area of the wedge.
Or added to the aerodynamics of the car.
The pillows were in the back (door) end so if anything the wedge is for foot space.
However the topper is at least a 6.5 footer and maybe even an 8footer so length isn’t really a problem.
I’d guess it’s partly aerodynamics and also probably covering or eliminating the front window which being vertical would be highly susceptible to road debris etc, in a similar way that a Wrangler’s front window is constantly being peppered, cracked, and chipped when on the highways by debris and rocks/gravel. That glass in that area of the shell would be completely flat and maybe tempered but probably not laminated (I’m no expert on that though). If there even was glass there to being with, those back doors suggest more of an industrial/commercial style topper as opposed to a casual use one.
Those toppers would have had a glass window in the front for allowing the driver to see what is behind. I considered one for my truck but I did not have any place to stick the tailgate that would have had to be removed.
Of course the window could have been broken so that is why the wedge was put there.
It is a nice creation turning the Fit into a little pickup.
Yeah these style of canopies normally have a window in the front but that reverse slope would be brutal on aero and susceptible to damage. Standard fitment would be tempered glass in that location as of course it would be up against the back window of the cab.
More recreational focused units often have sliders in the front to match the slider in the cab. Haven’t seen one in a while but there were also fiberglass units that had a rubber seal to the back of the cab and no window so you could in theory remove the back window in the pickup for maximum open space.
Our 1.3l DSi Jazz with CVT struggles at the best of times. I can only imagine how it would go with that on the back of it.
Nothing new here. I think I’ve posted this picture before, but here’s a Honda 600 “housecar” I snapped on I-5 almost 40 years ago. In Eugene, of all places.
I haven’t seen the picture, thanks! How does one sleep? In the fetal position or sitting up?
My guess – passenger seat removed with a sleeping platform? In the VW Golf I used to have I was able to put the front passenger seat all the way forward, fold the rear seas and sleep very comfortably on my memory foam tri-fold mattress at 5’10” tall – It beats sleeping on the ground in a tent when camping, especially when the coyotes start calling all around one’s campsite in the middle of the night, spooky!
Great catch with this photo, thanks for sharing.
Hats off to the designer/builder. Very clever and artistic as well.
As the builder of various tiny motor homes myself, I applaud.
All those surfaces/crevices do invite leakage, however, always a problem.
I’m glad you exercised some restraint Jim. More and more people, given the price of home ownership, are living on the streets these days.
Folks living in vehicles is a fascinating rabbit hole to go down and explore. They don’t all have ratty vans squatting in the Walmart parking lot. Many use their ingenuity to meet the challenges of this indifferent universe. Next to automobiles and roads my longest interest in life has been itinerants – hobos, tramps, bums and the like. Once you know some of the telltale signs and pay attention, there’s a lot more of these folks than you realize, even in the east. My understanding is there are a lot more out west.
It actually looks quite comfortable but really leaves me wondering what exactly is on the lower level.
If I had to guess, the lower level is for storing luggage. With no windows it wouldn’t likely be a pleasant place for humans. I’m sure I’d get claustrophobic in there.
Fit for human habitation.
Well done!
Yes, this was another way to solve that pesky rust issue. I guess the tiny house trend is now found among motorhomes too?
The bottom of the camper section seems to be about headrest level. It looks like the door uppers were cut and that the corrugated panels cover the rest of the rear doors. With the rear seats removed there would be a lot of storage area. Or perhaps a second bedroom?
It looks well-done, compared to the vast majority of RVs created from a regular car. My only quibble is I hope the guy didn’t do this to an otherwise serviceable Fit.
I am curious as to the fuel mileage, though. As someone else pointed out, with the added weight, it would not only be slow, but I’m guessing have substantially worse fuel mileage. In fact, if the mileage was bad enough, and the Fit started out as still being whole, he would have been better off trading the Fit in on some sort of SUV and sleeping in the back of that. Or, better still, simply getting the appropriate truck that actually fit the topper. Because it’s on a Fit, I’m thinking some sort of small pickup like an S-10, Ranger, or Tacoma.
I just hope it wasn’t one of those “hey, I’ve got this free camper topper. I’ll bet it would work great on the back of my car”…