Just when you think you’ve seen everything, something else pops up. Like this pop-up camper that was made from the remnants of a 1933 Rolls-Royce. It’s sharp and we’re told that it has been used as a camper from time to time. It’s located in Little Rock, Arkansas and available here on eBay where the reserve has yet to be met at $1,000.
I’m trying to picture how this all came about. One day, Jeeves was taking Mr. Godrocks out for a ride in the Rolls and they passed by a campground. Mr. Godrocks always had a yen for camping, but never did anything about it before. He’d been wanting to get a new Rolls anyway because the ashtray was dirty, so the ’33 RR was dismantled and the next thing you know, it was a camper! It probably didn’t go down this way, but we are living in crazy times.
According to the seller, the ’33 Rolls became no longer serviceable, so it was somehow converted into a teardrop-shaped pop-up camper. The owner would pull the newly purposed Rolls behind his 1936 edition. That had to be a most interesting sight. I suppose things started with the Rolls-Royce axle with brake drums attached with Rolls-Royce wheels. The camper is about six feet wide and seven feet long with carpeted storage below that is accessible through five doors. The tongue measures between four and five feet and takes a 1 7/8-inch ball hitch. A propane tank is mounted on the front with a permanently attached strap. The whole shebang weighs about 600 lbs.
Inside the camper there is a working antique gas stove that pulls out from the drop-down door in the back. It also contains a nice vintage mattress that leaves room for other items on its platform. The top of the camper goes up and down easily and was designed to fit over the modified Rolls-Royce drop-top cage. There is a travel cover that attaches with the mattress and the entire top beneath it. The taillights and reflectors are functional and hooks to the towing vehicle with a four-pin connector. It has a spare inner tube and a special wrench for the locking hubs.
This unusual vehicle was restored in the 1960s and has been on display in a private museum for close to 30 years. That museum contains prewar vehicles, cars, trucks and fire trucks. While it’s in excellent condition and has been camped in occasionally, it should be considered a collectible. If it were to be taken out for a trip, the use of a flatbed trailer is recommended. The buyer will take custody of the camper without a title simply because one was never issued in the first place. It’s hard to put a guesstimate on what something like this could be worth. There’s not likely another one out there to compare to. But I’m partial to the Vespa PX150 with the sidecar that appears in one of the pics!
Hey Tim, here’s another one for the monster truck show, for dignified tastes,, :)
This takes glamping to a whole ‘nother level
Harold Radford built “Countryman” conversions on Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars from the late 1940s through the mid 1960s. I owned the first Radford Countryman built on a Bentley S series chassis. The seats formed a bed, a picnic table unfolded from the boot over the rear bumper and there was a water reservoir and wash basin as well. Later cars were more elaborate.
Oh Boy, I want THIS! All the features of the best car in the word. A N D. if you ever have any trouble with it just call the factory and they will send out a technician to fix it, where ever you are in the world. No questions asked and never receive an invoice from Rolls. Now, that I automotive commitment !!
I hope the trailer include the special wrench needed to remove a wheel and a spare wheel since you won’t find one at a truck stop.
My first thought was I want the Vespa.
That’s a pretty eclectic garage that bad boy is sitting in!!
Looks like it might be a restoration business. They also have an interesting 1940 New Moon Travel Trailer for sale.
I can only feel that stepping into this storage building (garage/warehouse) would be like walking through a time warp.
The correct wrench to depress the drive gear allowing to to be un-threaded is shown in one of the EBAY pics
This would look good behind a particular old boat tail Bentley. . .
Please…
Whitworth camping.
The tongue appears to be modified and the gas bottle probably isn’t OPD.
Price is CORRECT!
Guess reading is a lost art: There is, in fact and as stated, a special wrench included. And I believe the expression is gotrocks, not godrocks.
The stove is only good if you like cooking at knee level, otherwise an interesting concept.
I would prefer a newer tear drop.
Yaaa the circus is in town
I had a 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25 saloon with a special camper setup, all created when the car was new, by the noted coachbuilder Hooper & Co.
The original owner was a Member of Parliament [MP] who was from Scotland. During his long trips from London to his home up north, he often found himself in remote areas, and wanted a car in which he could stay the night.
Hooper designed the 4-door body with special adaptations. First the rear seat back was hinged at the top, and could be folded up and out of the way, leaving an access area into the boot [trunk]. The rear seat cushion was removable, and under it was a flat removable platform [more on this platform below].
The boot lid was in 2 sections. The upper section was raised up until it was horizontal, and supported on 2 hinged supports. The lower boot lid folded down flat, extending the flat area of the boot to the rear bumper. Directly behind the rear bumper were 2 folding arms. When not in use, these were folded back along the bumper. When in use, they unfolded to stick out from the bumper, parallel with each other. These arms had locating pins that accepted the above mentioned panel from underneath the seat cushion.
A brown canvas cover fitted between the top of the boot lid panel and the bottom panels, and snapped into place at the boot lid opening sides. This created a fairly waterproof sleeping area of about 7 feet in length, from the back of the front seats to the back of the canvas panel.
The car’s front seats were bucket style, and the left front seat could be slid forward about 15 inches, allowing more room. Entry into this sleeping area was from the left rear door. Both front seat backs had folding tables too.
This was a very beautiful car when new, and was painted a light brown main body, with dark brown fenders and striping, and light brown wire wheels.
Sadly, this car was a victim of a massive lightning caused building fire in the mid 1990s, and was 100% destroyed, along with about 18 more rare cars.
Didn’t meet reserve at $1,425.