A Mobile Home – The latest Invention In 1937

Article from Mechanics And Handicraft found on modernmechanix.com

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1967 Vanden Plas Princess Caravan

The Vanden Plas Princess chassis was a very popular choice in coachbuilding during the 1960s in Britain. Along with fully built limousines, they were used under ambulances, hearses and other vehicles such as this caravan that was photographed in Lancashire, England. This Princess 4-litre caravan had 12,000 miles from new when it was advertised in the December 1977 issue of Hemmings. This is a 1967 caravan, with Rolls-Royce Phantom automatic gearbox and Connolly hide upholstery; it was alleged to have been kept in mint condition.

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The “Farlander” Land Cabin

Quite a nifty thing to hook up to your car for a week end on the country side. And look, even a woman can work it. Dad can stay home and watch football and drink beer – Ted

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The Carcajou

Early version of The Carcajou with center-hinged hood. Photos courtesy GM Heritage Center.

You may, as many have, once wondered what you would do if you owned a car company. If you were Paul Seiler, president of the Yellow Truck & Coach Mfg. Company, better known as General Motors Truck Corp., then you would get hold of a preproduction 1929 Z-250 Yellow Coach, eight months before the public debut. As the Depression hadn’t hit yet, you would convince someone in accounting to release about $25,000 to you, and have the factory build it into what was probably the most luxurious vehicle on wheels, The Carcajou (wolverine).

Does your Duesenberg have one of these? It does not.

Ostensibly, Seiler had it built to tour YT&CMC dealers and production facilities, and he did record at least 3,000 miles in it over the next couple of years. But it was also described as being his vacation home, and while it did seat 14 in day configuration, it seated them in easy chairs and couches. The Z-250 drew its name from a 250-inch wheelbase and had power from a 105hp Knight. It was reportedly good for 65 MPH and carried 65 gallons of gas.

Text and images from HemmingsDaily

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If This isn’t….

… traveling in style and comfort I don’t know what is – Ted

Decoliner and accessories:
The wild custom Blastolene build called “The Decoliner” is basically what Flash Gorden’s Airstream motor home would look like. This 26 ft aluminum beauty features a flying bridge, complete with driving station and room for 5 passengers on the roof! This was designed and conceived as the ultimate promotional vehicle. The specific layout of the RV’s interior can be tailored to your particular needs. If you’d like something like this custom built for you, please fill out out Contact Us form for Randy Grubb with some comments and we’ll see what we can do for you!

See the building process here

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Nice Follow-Up On The Teardrop

Dutch ‘Kip’-caravan, manufactured in Hoogeveen in Netherland.  A bit more comfortable than the classic teardrop camper, still light enough for any car to be able to pull it.

Image found at vintage-trailers

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You Just Got To Love Those Old VW Campers

There was a day when a camper like this was enough for a family of four. Most of those families took their campers out of the photo studio and onto the road of course – Ted 😉

Image found at FarbrorSid – One of my favourite blogs. The text is in Swedish, but there are enough images to look at. Cars and babes, the lot.

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“The Marquis” by Eduard Bohtlingk

Initially designed by Eduard Bohtlingk way back in 1985, the Markies (or ‘Marquis’ in English) is now one of the available camping structures at Amsterdam’s fun and unusual Urban Campsite. – See more HERE

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ProtoHaus: A Comfort Coated Home On Wheels

Are you an avid traveler and love to move around? But, the worst part of being on the move is staying away from home and missing all the comfort that comes tagged with the heavenly abode. Fret no more! Ann Holley and Darren Macca have designed a beautiful trailer that has been named ProtoHaus and has been shaped like a house.

ProtoHaus has been crafted from wood and reclaimed materials. It looks like a wooden hut and is aesthetically appealing. The house has an attention garbing facade, which will make heads turn in surprise every time it moves on the road. ProtoHaus ranks high on the functionality graph and will endow a user with all the comforts that one gets showered with in a real dwelling.

The 125 square foot home away from home has a timber frame, which will make good use of energy from the sun and wind. The use of recycled materials and solar as well as wind energy smothers the sumptuous housing option on wheels with eco friendliness. The clean and green unit has been erected on a trailer bed and features a small bedroom, bathroom and a modern kitchen as well.

The bedroom comes fitted with a bed that will help soothe those frazzled nerves when you get tired of driving for long hours. Never miss home cooked food as the kitchen will let you prepare fresh meals, which is great instead of opting for unhealthy options while traveling. The design comes fitted with separate fresh, black and gray water system that will help disposing waste in a much better and organized way.

ProtoHaus will let you live off grid and make sure you don’t miss your home even when you are miles away from it.

More images here – Text, video and images found at “AutoMotto”

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Coolest Camper Ever

This is the most unique camping and travel trailer you’ll ever find. The GO was designed from the frame out to be a one-of-a-kind mobile adventure trailer that’s even more versatile than a Swiss Army knife. It’s lightweight and easy to manage in the parking lot, garage or on the road. Weighing in at 800 lbs, the GO can be pulled by even the smallest cars.

Beyond its beautiful surface you’ll find that no design element was left untouched. The tent sets up in minutes and stows cleanly into the roof’s storage box. It also comes equipped with a weather-tight gear box that locks to keep your weekend camping essentials secure and ready for whenever you go.

SylvanSport GO 2011 from kyle mundt on Vimeo.

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VW Camper

I want one, I want one, I WANT ONE – Ted

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Side Car Combi Camp

Dutch hand built Combi camp. Nifty weekend camper for a handy DIYer – Ted
Images found at “Perras Motornostalgi”

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VW Camper Tent

Will you look at that! Just the thing if your in the marked for a classic VW camper and have a hard time finding one. This would certainly be the next best thing – Ted

Read all about it here

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1940 Hunt House Car

1940 Hunt House Car – Designed and built by Hollywood cameraman J. Roy Hunt, the Hunt House Car combined the comforts and conveniences of a travel trailer with the manoeuvrability of a small truck. The house car was furnished with a kitchen, a bathroom with shower and toilet, a writing desk, a makeup kit, and a recess for a TV set. – Text and image found at RVmagOnline

 

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The Bobble Camper

A nice idea from Mechanix Illustrated found at Foghorns

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The Blue Bird Wanderlodge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wanderlodge is a high end brand of Class A motorhome recreational vehicle that was built by Blue Bird Body Company now Blue Bird Corporation in Fort Valley, Georgia, from about 1963 until 2009. Production started with a 31-foot (9.4 m) gas powered forward control (front engine) model and expanded to include larger diesel engine powered pusher (rear engine) models up to 43 feet (13 m) in length. They remain highly prized by their owners and have an extensive service network. For many years the Wanderlodge was in a separate class of motorhomes along with other premium brands like Prevost and Newell. Pricing of these RVs, from the 1960s until now, has been comparable with pricing of a medium-sized house.

The Wanderlodge was sold around the world to celebrities, dignitaries, and heads of state. Notable owners include the former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, country music superstar Johnny Cash, and King Hussein of Jordan, among others. Features of the Wanderlodge that were unique when introduced included a built-in safe, redundant heating and hot water systems that used electricity, engine heat or diesel, and fuel tanks offering range in excess of 1,000 kilometres (620 mi).

Design History – 1963-1990
The first Wanderlodge protoype was produced by Blue Bird in 1963 in Fort Valley, Georgia. Unlike most other motorhomes of the time, the Wanderlodge was based heavily on Blue Bird’s All American school bus; instead of using fiberglass, its body was built entirely of steel. Also, the school bus frame was intended for daily stop-and-go driving not usually subjected to any motorhome. Priced from $12,000 (approximately $81,000 in 2010 dollars), full-scale Wanderlodge production began in 1966 with a Ford gasoline engine. In 1977, diesel engines were introduced as the Caterpillar 3208 V8 replaced the Ford gasoline engines. For 1982, Blue Bird introduced a rear-engined (pusher) version of the Wanderlodge; it was powered by a Detroit Diesel 6V92 (an 8V92 became an option in 1986). Unlike the All American Rear Engine, which with it shared a chassis and basic body design, the Wanderlodge pusher was designed with a rear tag axle. In 1987, the front fascia of all Wanderlodges received a facelift to differentiate them from the All American; gone were the vertically stacked headlights that had adorned Blue Bird buses for nearly 25 years. Unlike previous Wanderlodges, 1987 and later models featured fiberglass end caps to disguise their school bus origins.

Although the All American-based chassis and its all-steel construction allowed for durability and a reputation of quality, by the late 1980s its size had started to work against it. Federal law restricted school buses to a maximum width of 96 inches (2.4 m), while motorcoaches that were now competing with the Wanderlodge as a luxury motorhome were all built in a width of 102 inches (2.6 m). In 1988, the first 102" Wanderlodges (Wide Body Pusher) were introduced.

Want one, want one, WANT ONE!!!!!! – Ted

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1969 Airstream Brochure

Check out the whole brochure here

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Bud Mitchell – The Camper King Of Colorado

1972 Mitchell camper

In 1957, Bud Mitchell built a plywood “cabin,” attached it to the back of his pickup truck and took it fishing. He ended up having to sell it. He built another one the next year. Again, he was forced to sell it, but this time he made $300. The following year, Bud, his father, and Bud’s brother opened up Mitchell and Sons to make campers and mobile homes.

By the 1970s they shipped their campers around the world, including Bible-stuffed versions to the Soviet Union. Mitchell campers are still seen around Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Bud was the original sales team for the company and earned his royal moniker as the company found success.Mitchell and Sons no longer exists, it’s now Quickporch and is run by Mitchell’s nephews. Text & images from ObitOfTheDay

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Camping Memories

Another of my collections of images on Picasa. Camping memories this time and in both colour and black’n’white as the last one. My family often went on camping trips when I was a small kid, so I hope you’ll enjoy these images as much as I do.

To the gallery:

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Classic Campers

It is no surprise to frequent visitors to this blog that I have a soft spot for old campers and camping trailers. I’ve just made a Picasa gallery of the nicest images I’ve collected lately for the enjoyment of others who share this particular soft spot.

To the gallery:

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