Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the possibility of one day owning a Sprinter-type van with four-wheel drive and an upfitted interior. It’s a bit of a pipe dream at the moment, but after a recent trip to Iceland where these rigs were everywhere, I can certainly see the appeal. It’s amazing in retrospect to consider how far ahead of the curve conversion companies were in the 1980s, creating the likes of this 1985 Dodge Ram Van B250 listed here on Facebook Marketplace. While it was never intended to go off-road, it was built to make on-road travels more pleasant.
The Ram Van was already a solid basis for a high-end van experience. Dodge may have built it to support tradesmen and other commercial ventures, but with the van craze being one of the more significant trends in automotive expression, the OEMs and aftermarket clearly saw an opportunity to make more dough with their existing vehicles. If private owners were creating wild custom vans with couches on the inside and murals on the inside, history has shown there’s usually a large cohort of owners who want the same thing but will gladly pay someone else to do the work. Hence, companies like National Traveler are still in existence today, actively upfitting vans like the Ram Promaster.
Well, it may not be quite that simple; it appears the National Traveler name is now used by a company called Regency Conversions. Regardless, it goes to show you that Americans have liked the idea of a van you can travel in for some time. This one features second row, fully-adjustable captain’s chairs, blinds on the large windows, and what was likely a state-of-the-art entertainment system at the time. The carpets are in remarkably good condition, as are the door panels. While it likely has just over 100,000 miles on a rolled-over odometer, it appears that this Dodge was truly used as a special occasion travel vehicle as opposed to a daily driver.
Even today, this looks pretty spectacular. The second row seats have a swivel function that allows them to rotate and sit face-to-face with their friends on the couch. That couch folds out into a bed, and there’s storage underneath. There’s also a variety of speakers mounted overhead, enhancing the experience of the TV/VCR system. From what I can find, the carbureted 318 under the hood produces 140 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque, channeled through a lazy 3-speed automatic transmission. It looks good, runs well, and still looks like a comfortable place to spend the night – how can you go wrong with a van? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip.
Conversion vans were great for taking the party to the beach or for tailgating
So fun for the kids. Turn up the good music 🎶 and going anywhere is a memorable trip ✨️
We had an 87. Great road trip vehicle.
I had a ’98 Chevy conversion van for 18 years. We used it daily and loved it. The kids still fondly remember it. Everyone loved the mood lights in the ceiling, I would love to get another someday.
way over the top for me, gaudy, single function (just ‘different strokes…’ ). I like one a lill more sleep-in style.
I had one that I equipped that way that was ‘’knock-down style’ for fairly easy conversion to haulin (250/60 sq ft, 13 ft long objects, 3/4T, forward control, ‘cheb 108’). Most memorable wrk was a bi-yrly trip from Stow, VT to Martha’s Vineyard & back spring/fall for a couple & dog that were in the hotel and tourism industry (ski/beach). It was more than a week party (I was barely into my 20’s) thru out the two ends of it. Hit the end of ski season w/the hangers-on, then beat the crowd at the beaches the other. A sorta paid vacation w/a 5.5 hr drive in the middle and free lodgings (the empty van) at each end.
What energy kids have (even if they wuz U) !
Sure miss my 72′ Dodge Sportsman Royal Maxi B300 van. Bought it new and got rid of it in 2020. Went through my whole family.
Bought a new ’79 B200 van. 318 with the 4 speed overdrive. Bought it for a rally service and tow vehicle. When I bought it the wife hated it. Within a week, she asked to borrow it. It got great fuel economy. (for a van) Once while pulling the rally car on the trailer and being forced to drive 55 MPH. for a whole tank full. It got 21 MPG! I had it many years and literally drove it all over the country. I regularly miss that van.
As far as fixing them up for camping off road. I sold many GMC Savana vans that first went to Quigley for 4×4 conversions and then to Sportsmobile for camper conversions. And if you try to find one. You will be surprised by the value they hold. Quality 4×4 conversion and quality camper conversions hold their resale value.
These were great driving machines. Looks to be well kept for its age. That dark headlamp would be the first thing changed.
I worked in a motor home plant and ordered a new Chevy van to do my own conversion. 4 high end Capt. chairs installed and had a template kit for the paneling. Then before I went further, things changed and I sold it. What changed? I had just gassed up up and decided that $20 for a tank of gas was just not acceptable. :-( Terry J
Took our GMC Safari conversion to a college football game with 5 buddies. I was the DD but they were on the “champagne flight” on the way there. When we arrived and opened the slider, all the empty beer cans tumbled out. You should’ve seen the laughs of all the people parked near our tailgate spot
I well remember the day of the overly tricked out vans, pickups and suburban of this era. The company I worked for at the time passed out the Regency conversion suburbans as company vehicles to the high level executives. Plush velour interiors, the blond wooden accents, overhead consoles, running boards. Be kinda cool to have one today.
I used to have a business relationship with. “Mr. Van” they always had nice stuff.