Here’s a case where the topper may be more special than the truck it’s on, or at least that’s what the seller of this 1982 Ford Bronco XLT Lariat was thinking a couple of years ago when he bought it, as his immediate interest was the Hallmark Pop-Top Camper that sits on the rear. Turns out the topper is a Bronco-specific model manufactured in 1993, and as this particular Hallmark piece hasn’t been made since ’96 they’re not all that plentiful nowadays or easy to come by, so if you’ve been in the market for a pairing such as this, the combo is located in White Bluff, Tennessee and can be spotted here on eBay, where bidding has gotten up to $8,100 with the reserve still a mystery.
The story goes that the seller purchased the truck primarily to remove the topper and place it on another of the three Broncos he owned at the time, but plans changed when he sold all of them and was left with the pop top still attached to the vehicle just as it arrived from Colorado where he had it shipped from. Hallmark Campers in Brighton performed the installation when the pop top was new in 1993, but the seller tells us it will fit any 1980 to 1996 Bronco.
After looking inside, I can certainly understand the owner’s attraction to the camper’s living quarters, which remain all original and gives you almost six and a half feet of height when the top is popped up. There are also plenty of amenities in there including a refrigerator, cooktop, and heater, all propane powered, along with a large mattress in the upper quarters and a side seat below that converts into a two-person bed.
The Bronco itself has had a few patch panels installed in some lower extremities but overall looks fairly decent on the outside for its age, though the front bumper has tapped something and it’s wearing aftermarket wheels, but some good news is it’s a 4WD. The cab is all original and has some nice options such as cruise control, power windows, door locks, and a tilt steering column, features found as standard equipment on most vehicles as of late but not always there back in the early eighties.
The 351 was running when the seller acquired the truck, but not very well as the carburetor needed a rebuild, which it received but then the truck was parked for a couple of years. Now, there’s some sort of electrical gremlin causing a short in the system that keeps blowing a fusible link once the engine has been started, so hopefully this one will end up in the hands of someone with good wiring skills that can sort things out and get this cool combo back on the road. Any thoughts on this 1982 Bronco XLT Lariat/1993 Hallmark Pop-Top Camper pairing, or what would be a reasonable price to pay for what you’re getting here?
Tidy package. Can’t possibly last long. $28K?
That is not an official bid by the way.
In the interest of stability, I think that the new owner should consider installing a lift kit on this vehicle…
A suspension lift kit would decrease stability by raising the center of gravity, not a good thing on or off road.
Exactly. Especially on unimproved roads with a high crown where you could be forced onto the shoulder or off of the road entirely. Good call.
Runty very much only a weekend at best camper w/a small boat towed.
It’s OK for pheasant also not Deer or Elk – Colorado
It’d do best up near Aberdeen Sodak or west reservation Antelope lands their small enough to quarter up.
Colorado trout streams ok.
2 man or a couple unit.
It’s definitely worthy as a Hobby 4×4 Hunting/fishing unit & cheap enough to fix.
Add solar panels on top that’s about it other than Gen maintenance.
12.5 top bid watch