• Seller: Lee R oberson
• Location: Caldwell, Idaho
• Mileage: 143,708 Shown
• Chassis #: TZE368V101589
• Title Status: Clean
• Engine: 403 cu. in. V8
• Transmission: 3-Speed Automatic

There’s nothing quite like hitting the open road in an RV. Since your transportation also acts as your home away from home, you’re free to explore, take in the sites and do it all at your own pace. Unfortunately, new motorhomes are incredibly expensive and are, well, bland. This 1978 GMC Royale is anything but boring, with is retro futuristic styling and novel packaging. This example has had a ton of work done by the seller and is ready to drive, but they have another vintage camper that’s a bit smaller, so they’ve decided to let someone new have a chance to live the Royale life! It’s being offered here as a Barn Finds Auction and resides in Caldwell, Idaho.

The seller, Lee, has owned this GMC for a little over 4 years. The prior owner lived nearby in Emmette, Idaho and kept detailed records of all the maintenance and repairs they had done during their ownership. There’s a mountain of paperwork for it going back several decades. It also comes with some spare parts. Lee asked us to come take the photos of it, we had the chance to see it in person and it is an impressive machine.

The interior is better than most of the motorhomes we’ve looked at in the past, especially for one of this vintage. The carpets are showing some discoloration, but the interior is in otherwise impressive condition. We didn’t note any odd odors or see any signs of water intrusion. The seat upholstery looks great and everything seems to be functional. When the seller got it, the air conditioning wasn’t functioning, so they had the system rebuilt and converted to R134a. If we were going to do anything to the inside of it, it would be to replace the carpet, but it would be a shame to lose the retro looks. The seller also notes that the mirrors are power adjust and heated, which is a nice feature to have when trying to navigate RV parks and congested roads.

The previous owner had just replaced the twin beds before selling it, so it has relatively new memory foam mattresses. The Norcold refrigerator was installed in 2011 but doesn’t appear to have ever been used. Lee has tested it, and it works as it should. The kitchen appliances are all in clean condition, including the countertop-mounted blender! It features a four-burner stove, a microwave, a large double sink, and the blender.

Moving this 26′ motorhome down the road requires a lot of power, so it’s equipped with a 403 cui V8. The drivetrain was essentially the same as what was used in the Oldsmobile Toronado, so power is routed through a 3-speed automatic transaxle that turned the front wheels. The engine has recently been serviced and runs great. The records show the engine was fully rebuilt in 1997 and the valves were done in 2002. The seller overhauled the brakes in 2022, including replacing all the lines and upgrading the calipers to 40mm units. They also had the hubs rebuilt by Dave Lenzi in 2023. In 2024, they had an external vacuum pump installed as a safety measure, in case you ever lost engine vacuum so that you don’t also lose the brake booster. At some point, the engine received a set of Gibson Exhaust headers and Bilstein shocks up front. It rides on KYB shocks in the rear with airbags.

It really was amazing to see this Royale in person. It’s such a novel design and is packed with all kinds of unique features. All the major systems function as they should and it goes down the road nicely. While we didn’t have a chance to test it, the Onan generator is said to work well and has a little over 300 hours on it and it comes with the exhaust standpipe. The awnings are all in beautiful shape and the roof top storage bin has a few extra parts in it, plus room to stow anything you don’t need inside. It looks like it’s pretty much ready to hit the road, so if you are ready to go on an adventure, be sure to bid. If you have any questions for the seller, please leave them in the comment section.

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