Other than a parachute, few things look as non-aerodynamic as a vintage Winnebago. Wind resistance aside, this 1973 Winnebago D20 “Brave” in American Fork, Utah appears ready for adventure, and it’s the only one of this era I’ve seen with four-wheel drive! That brow jutting out over the windshield may cup the wind, but it also houses the front bunk, a perfect place to stash children or spry adults for the night. Described as “great running” and “fun to drive,” this 20-foot Dodge-chassis (D20) RV can be yours for the high bid here on eBay. As we go to press, one brave bidder has pledged $4000 to own this 4×4 adventure cabin on wheels.
The front differential dispels any notion that the seller may simply have seen “4×4” on the front hubs of a 2WD chassis and mistakenly boasted of two drive axles. The odometer shows 37,000 miles, not unheard of for a vintage motor home, but in fairness the owner says it could be 137.
The interior looks better than many 20 year-old motor homes I’ve seen. Be sure to check out the seller’s humorous comments on this topic.
The western blanket probably covers a worn driver’s seat cushion. Orange carpet keeps it all “mod” in this ’70s rolling castle. The dashboard offers plenty of vital information and controls, though the styling comes right from a 1960s industrial power plant. Speaking of power plants, the venerable Dodge 440 cid (7.2L) V8 promises reasonable thrust to push this brick-shaped object down the road.
The trailer hitch suggests a tow-behind vehicle or boat may have further strained the little Brave’s 440 at some point. I’ve heard RV owners saying their fuel mileage in MPG barely changes when towing a vehicle, “Ten with… 11 without.” If you’re worried about gas mileage, move along now. For a modern touch, engine swaps range from the Cummins diesel to a Turbo LS, but you’d have to travel enough to justify the time and expense. Swapping transmissions to gain overdrive could help as well, but why not simply jump in and head down the road! Where would you take this vintage RV?
Even with a complete rebuild on the front suspension, it will be hard on the steering tires, evident in one of the photos. A curiosity: I have Never seen an alternator mounted on a motorhome generator before.
These shorty units are easy to maneuver, but have no illusions. They ride like trucks, because they sit on truck chassis.
In addition to potential running gear problems, anyone who has had a RV will warn about the systems for the house portion. Never easy or cheap to repair or upgrade.
Back in the 70’s, the family that owned the local marina, would take us to the local dump, to watch bears in one of these. I can’t say it had 4wd, though.
these are good donor vehicles for the motors and transmissions, just difficult to remove.
A reciprocating saw, chain, truck and a few beers will make quick work of removing the entire front end… what could go wrong?
I like how you think, 19sixty5!
When I look at these vintage RVs, I imagine what I could do with it for upgrades and interior changes if I had an unlimited bank account. After about 5 minutes of dreaming, I move on and let it be someone else’s headache.
And I currently have the headache of rebuilding the sister vehicle to this one, but with a stripped out interior, right hand drive conversion, 318ci.power and 2wd.
It has no rust and low mileage.
Come to think of it, I have a bad migraine !
A 1st for me too. Surely I thought a mistake, but there it is. I can’t find any info on older awd motorhomes. It appears someone just grafted what looks like Dodge hardware from a truck chassis. These were nothing more than Dodge medium duty truck chassis’ anyway. For our 1st motorhome, was a unit just like this, only 2wd. I think it had a 318, and just remember stopping for gas, a LOT. I can only imagine this unit would use gallons per mile, ESPECIALLY with all the hardware spinning. IDK, the awd could be handy, but anything off road, you’d tip this over, and if it was slippery and windy, I’d park this thing.
About 8 or 10 mpg with a tail wind.
I would have guessed 4 or 5 mpg.
There is no mention of a 4wd option in the brochure:
https://winnebagoind.com/resources/brochure/1973/73-Brave-bro.pdf
[The pictures in the 1972 brochure were prettier:
https://winnebagoind.com/resources/brochure/1972/72-Brave-bro.pdf [
My guess is that 4wd was never offered at the time. If this particular Winnebago is 4wd, whoever owned it had to have had the drivetrain upgraded.
This is a Great Tank … I love it ,as long as someone else owns it
Although not my favourite motorhome of the 1970s, this looks like an okay motorhome to drive. One upgrade I’d give it would be a 5.9 litre Cummins Turbo Diesel engine.
I was an Engineer at Winnebago in 1973 (up until the Arab oil embargo). I can tell you with full confidence that there was never a 4×4 Brave built on the assembly line. They did however have a separate department that did some custom work on units but something like this would have caught the attention of the entire Engineering department. We did have a custom unit built for President Nixon and we all toured it.
Thanks Gene for the first-hand info. I’m always amazed at the people here who have experience with even rare and unique models. ‘Everyone’ has experience with Mustangs, but an engineer at Winnebago? Cool !!
I would think this was a special order Winnebago if four wheel drive is original as it appears to be. A 440 in a smaller Brave like this is also uncommon. This was more of an entry-level Winnebago and most small ones had 318s or maybe 360s. I’m sure it gets plenty of attention, but I’m thinking fun to drive might be a stretch. LOL. A large block of a motor home sitting atop an early 70s 4wd truck chassis is not likely FUN to drive, but to each their own.
If you enjoy going to the proctologist, this might be fun to drive.
Not the first 4×4 ive seen, i had the exact same 2wd with a 413, popped it out and rebuilt it( what was i thinking) first ride on the old bias plys was a joke with everything in the cabinets rattling, i looked in the rear view to see if the walls were falling off, then the tires warmed up and all was well, sold it to a guy for a patriots wagon
I had a Dodge chassis that was quite ugly but took our family all over the east coast. The biggest issue we had was the warped exhaust headers. When the engine refused to start at a lake in Florida my neighbor had parts on hand for the popular configuration. One day I discovered a fuel filter under the right front fender that had apparently never been addressed. I scraped out the old filter and bought a new cartridge at a NAPA store. When a r/f tire blew on a hot day in north Florida the extra steering damper saved us from going creek bound. The explosion took out the floor in front of my wife.
Old RVs are EXTREME money pits!!! Much cheaper to rent one.
This one even has the “Brady Bunch” orange counter tops!!!
This Brave is on an RM-400 chassis. Depending on the year that chassis would only have a 413 or a 440. The 440 is correct for ’73. Quigley was the approved upfitter for Chrysler at that time. The chassis would have been send to Winnebago and then on to Quigley for the “factory” 4×4 conversion. Not that uncommon. Definitely more common on a passenger or conversion van, known as a quadravan.
Quadravan was Pathfinder’s name for Ford 4X4 vans. The Dodge vans converted by Pathfinder were called VanCharger. Quigley didn’t do a Dodge until 1975.
Two happiest days when owning a trailer: the day you buy it and the day you sell It! Really enjoy reading the somewhat hilarious comments brought forth by this forlorn Winny!
If it were me l would stay away from this savage title, way to risky, most likely this was stolen, and or wrecked, at one point in time. And the 37,000,miles,no way,to much wear, my guess is that this has about 137,000,miles,was wrecked, and or stolen, and someone unplugged the odometer for awhile. Plus if you check ebay lists comparable to this, prices seem better for what you get,and don’t forget about cousin Eddie he might be living in this thing 4×4,maybe it was used in the movie,although l highly doubt it,no documentation.
Reid, great comments! Refer to the old adage: “Stay away, stay far away!”
My first rv was this without the 4wd
I still have nightmares of this pos
It was horrible and i am sure that with the 4×4 it is only worse!
Oh the mistakes we make in our lives …
30 years later, f150 5,3 pulling a 7250 pound f wheel in comfort without white knuckles 😄
I got a chuckle out of the seller’s humorous comments and Todd’s apt description of the instrument panel’s “styling.” And “fun to drive”? Well maybe in that you are driving something old and unique, otherwise I suspect it is a chore to drive.
I have no experience with these but I agree, they have to be money pits. Holiday Inn Express at $100 per night works for me.
Seller jumped right on it. Sold for $4,050.00. Fairly nice looking unit. Just not for me. Congrats to both seller and new owner.