1974 was a big year in U.S. history. Who can forget President Nixon resigning? That was big. Sports news was also big, and very coincidental in the case of this 1974 Winnebago D-19 Brave. Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, playing for the Atlanta Braves, hit the pitch that broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. The seller has this nice example listed here on craigslist in Rainier, Oregon, and they’re asking $8,750. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Barney for the tip!
I thought it was pretty coincidental that Hank Aaron was playing for a team named the Braves in 1974 when he hit that home run, and this 1974 Winnebago model is a Brave. This is a shorty, as in the smallest model of the Brave series for Winnebago in 1974. They were the D-19, D21, and D21T. The D-19 was 19′-1 1/2″ long and had a side dinette with a rear bathroom.
This example looks like a winner to me, the extended rear bumper is great for extra hauling space as you’re driving down scenic two-lane roads to that perfect campground, or other remote camping spot. The seller says this one has always been under a cover, and there are no leaks, and there is no rot. That’s a big deal with these big, flat roofs. Our own Michelle showed a nice one very similar to this last summer here on Barn Finds.
I bet the seats are tan vinyl that have seen better days, it’s a bummer that there isn’t a photo of them without seat covers on. I’d redo them in a nice plaid pattern, but that’s just me. The big furry bean bag chair-looking hump in the middle is where the Dodge 318-cu.in. OHV V8 sits. With standard power steering with a tilt wheel, and standard power brakes, anyone can drive this l’il rig. I’d install a backup camera ASAP, just to make sure you can sneak it into a spot without any drama.
With 6′-6″ of headroom, I’d finally have enough space so I didn’t have to duck down constantly as I had to in our 1969 Winnebago truck camper. This would have been a dream for our little four-person family in the 70s, but my mom commuted with the Ford truck that hauled that camper around, so it wasn’t in the cards.
The floor plan on the D-19 has a dinette on the passenger side that makes into a bed, along with a long couch on the driver’s side that also converts to a bed. A kitchenette is behind that couch with a refrigerator behind the dinette, and then the bathroom is in the back. It’s the most private configuration to have it back there, but it makes for some limited visibility while driving, unless the door is left open, and even then, since it’s an offset door, it’s not as open as a rear dinette floor plan would be. If you want that, you’re moving up to one of the D-21 Braves.
Here’s a partial view of the bathroom. They aren’t big, but anytime you aren’t running outside at night, in the cold, or in the rain, that’s a very good thing. The seller says this one is super clean (I agree!), it’s original, and has new tires and a new battery. At $8,750, this is 19 feet of fun for a very small price in 2025 dollars. Who has owned a vintage Winnebago motorhome like this D-19 Brave?
Nice rig, but with a feature that has kept us from buying something like this. Only one door to get in and get out. First thing we thought of is what do you do in an emergency such as fire or an accident out on the road. Since then we have had 2 VW campers and 3 medium sized motor homes, all with doors on each side.
Wow, that’s a good point, I hadn’t even given that a thought before now! I think the windows push out if I remember right, but that isn’t the easiest thing to crawl out of a window.
You are đź’Ż%, Scotty RE: the windows.
Had an elderly aunt from Springfield Illinois that bought one of these when she sold the family bait shop after her husband died. She went touring the USA, made it her mission to stop all all the famous (and infamous) race tracks starting with Indianapolis, then to Daytona and so on as open wheel/motorcycle racing had been a big part of our family.
She put 87,000+miles on it before settling down with her mom in Montebello, CA (when it was still a nice place to live)..
She really had a good time with it and had no regrets when she sold it for much less than she’d bought it-as it should be.
PS- a CC camera on the back works wonders.
I am sure the emergency escape windows aren’t the easiest egress, but in an emergency, is that really an issue? Would one not by a two story house because there was no door access to the upper floor? It’s nice to have a second door, but it’s also another security concern too. Having owned numerous campers over the years none have had 2 doors and never have I had a concern. Even the last, biggest one my family owned (before the divorce and the kids grew up and went on their own, the front bedroom had an emergency escape window despite the entry door literally being just on the other side of the accordion door. So too did my first camper after my divorce, wall for the front queen bed, just a curtain I put up and the entry door was right at the foot of the bed, but there was an emergency escape window at the head of the bed and another in the lower bunk at the rear of the 19′ camper.
A second entry door is nothing more than a convenience. It really should not, need not be a concern for safety. But, to each their own.
Good point, but most tow-behind campers (especially under 24′) only have one door. The difference is that this has an engine and gas tank? At the campground it isn’t much different. But I guess the concern is a wreck when driving?
How did they get it to Oregon with that 318?
This was only good in flat flat Iowa.
I had one of these in the mid 80’s when i got married. It had the industrial 318 -4v and torquefilght. I lived in Tulsa at the time and we drove it to Branson to get married. Going up the incline into Springfield was the only time it lacked for power. It was a pretty tight rig at the time. I drove that baby to Glacier Nat’l Park.. up Pikes Peak.. thru the Redwoods and up Hiway 1. If i didnt already have a motorhome.. i’d get this one
Retro Cool with the right colors!
The window above the driver’s seat indicates that this rig also has a drop-down bed over the front seats. My parents had a class-C motorhome with a similar layout. When the couch is converted to a bed, it’s almost impossible for the schmuck sleeping up front (me) to get to the bathroom without waking everybody up.
Man this is nice, and local too. Lots of headroom and the perfect size. An easy to work on engine. Retro style and a great price.
Probably the best one on BF yet.
I’m getting old, doesn’t seem like that long ago people would pay me $100 bucks to haul on of these off their property. I would dismantle them and sell off the engine and transmission to people who needed low mileage engines for a project then scrap what metal I could and sending what was left to the landfill and what I did with one of the holding tanks isn’t environmentally friendly in today’s world but it was kinda the norm back then.
I like that comment Troy!! That’s a good way to make some easy money!!
My Brother had one of these , what a death trap , handled awful on interstates , low power , crappy brakes Ac crapped out 80+ the best and last think was the steering column fell out of the dash and the steering wheel was in his lap , did I mention overheating , He sold it after that trip and bought a newer Class C Coachman , had that one for many trouble free years of travel! Good luck to ever buys this one !
Have a shorty as well – a 1971 with the little 318 – mine’s a wreck from outside storage for most of it’s life but still runs great !
Am I the only one who saw this and immediately thought “SHAZAM!!” ?