Remember, folks, always check your listing to make sure your middle-school child has not PhotoShopped lights onto the roof and fat wheels and tires into the wheel wells! Should you have to say that? Whether this is a real listing or not, the digital artistic additions make it news-worthy, so let’s take a look. Fans of the classic Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser or the Greyhound Scenicruiser will appreciate the elevated rear bunkhouse where (if it weren’t for the roof-mounted air conditioners) passengers can scan the road ahead in complete comfort. Advertised as a 1951 GM Motorhome, this box on wheels (though not the wheels shown here) comes to market here on craigslist where, for the sum of $6900, it can be yours to sort out fact from fiction. Perhaps readers near Meza, Arizona can take a look and report back. Thanks to reader Paul G. for spotting this digitally-enhanced gem.
First impression (well, after disregarding the fake wheels and tires): a face only a mother could love, and that’s a stretch. I’ve been called a mother once or twice, and I’m not feeling the love. Still, when it comes to RVs, form follows function, and what’s more space-friendly than a good old rectangular box?
Now we get a look (sort-of) at the vehicle’s real wheels and tires, slightly less macho than the computer-rendered elements above, but perfectly at home adorning a vintage motorhome. The double-decker rear section could be original or possibly a later addition by someone with some skills working in aluminum. The Scenicruiser-esque windows and school-bus-like rear top section add interest for certain. The interior looks much less like a B-movie crime scene than expected, and sports a color scheme recalling the ’70s more than the ’50s.
And here is GM’s famous 440 V8. Wait a minute! It does look like a 440, but A. What’s it doing in a “GM” Motorhome, and B. Is this RV really from 1951? The ’70’s vintage 440 would certainly match the interior color scheme, though we can’t disregard the ’50s vibe of the exterior. Any clues welcome in the comments below! Did I mention “missing title,” and “no VIN?” Joking aside this nicely-sized 23′ rig deserves a second life touring the highways and byways. Motorhomes often accumulate few miles, and that 440 and other parts may simply need a patient revival and refurbishment to come back to life. Do you think “The Hornet” will fly again?
ngl i belied the photo shop, the lights on top give it away and then the 2nd pic i all ready new i was lol. and is it just me or is this a scam or some rando that doesn’t know a single thing about cars.
Cannot find title, cannot find VIN, and photoshopped tires over what appears to be a stationary RV sitting on blocks. Oh, and everything is “in tack.” What is there that could go wrong dealing with a 12 year old seller? I actually like this beast, but no shower……PASS
Now, this one is an actual example of fake news.
Meza,Arizona? Is that anywhere near Mesa?
The front end looks a lot like a COE Peterbilt.
LOL it says it is a GM motor home and it has a Mopar 440 in it… too funny any one who is interested in it would have to go see it for sure!
I like the Gregg-Liszt notification “Avoid scams, deal locally”
Me thinks this must be a scam.
Meza must be a local district in Mesa, which is in turn a suburb of Dar Es Salem located in the outskirts of Nigeria.
Maybe the title is Scam-Artist as opposed to King, El Presidente, most humble Majesty.
VIN is actually a vinyard in Lombardy.
I’ll Paaaaaassssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!
@ Al. Lower your caffeine intake. Your comment, funny after the third pass, was really hard to understand at first. But I loved what you wrote!
Gregg Liszt. Took a moment.
its cool though.
Dumb and ugly.
If it’s a 440 it’s not GM. That would be a 454. That is probably what it has. If it’s a 440 then it’s Chrysler powered. Booth are very gas hungry with big 4 barrels
Ummm…earth to Glenn….did you have a look at the motor??? Definitely not Rat chevy. Indeed looks to be a Mopar 440…just like in Mom and Dads 1977 Journey Motorhome. We still have it.
Dual headlamps did not become legal until ’57-8 and these are faired in like they were meant to be there. Much later than ’51 imho.
Looks like a 2 barrel carb on it. Mopar engine
Seller fixed spelling of MESA,
suggesting he is reading our comments..
“this is a must sell”
That’s a very late 440, as it appears to have an EGR valve in the intake manifold, as well as a late V-type A/C compressor. As Robert Roberge mentioned, it’s got dual headlight assemblies. If you look at 1970s – 1980s Thomas Transit [flat front] city busses, you can find the same headlights.
I suspect this was a 1-off design, the main body/chassis built by a major bus manufacturer. In my opinion it’s probably a 1970s or early 1980s Thomas “Transit liner”, created as a small town city bus, not a school bus.
Later in life the top of the bus, except for the front area [everything that is silver or white] was removed, and the silver & white portions were added to create the RV. [The back section of the bus was raised up, and a set of 3 windows were installed in the opening. The second windshield looks like a 1955-56 Chrysler windshield and trim, split into equal portions, and a flat center section added, as the body is 8′ wide. The door is of the same era, the door & latch is identical to the one on my 1978 Pace Arrow motorhome.
This conversion was likely ordered by someone with money to spend, and the builders made every effort to create what the buyer wanted. It’s certainly not a product that would have been created in advance, for “stock”, or a future purchaser.
If the seller was to provide closer photos of the front area, the dash & driver’s area, and the top windshield, I could probably identify it better.
It’s certainly not a 1951, and likely began 30 years later as a city bus.
Wasn’t this previously owned by Johnny Cash? Wrote a song about it or …similar?? Asking for a freind???
It appears to be a big block Mopar, distributor up front but with a Quadrajet GM carb.
Oh, can you imagine the smell…