Retro RV: 1972 Apollo Neptune Motorhome

The seller talks about this 1972 Apollo Neptune motorhome as having been sitting for a few years but it still fires right up. A lot of us have been sitting for two years now and some of us aren’t firing right up again. I’m betting on this motorhome getting in shape before a lot of us are again. They have it posted here on craigslist in Dixon, California and they’re asking $9,000. Thanks to the ever-in-shape Pat L. for sending in this tip! Here’s the original listing.

I’m wondering if this is actually a 1973 model? The seller says that it was built in 1972 but most of the Apollo Neptune models that I’ve found are 1973 models, including this one that Jeff wrote about here on Barn Finds last summer. Their big claim to fame was their “Ring of Steel” perimeter structure and also the fiberglass construction and the one-piece fiberglass roof. Roof leaks can be an issue on motorhomes and campers, in general, but the Apollo roof just required periodic checking and resealing around the roof penetrations such as vents or rooftop air-conditioning units.

Breaker breaker, good buddy. A lot of camping vehicles had CB radios in this era and they came in handy in the pre-everyone-needed-a-$100-a-month-smartphone-in-their-hand-at-all-times-or-they-couldn’t-possibly-go-on-with-life simpler time that this was. Or, at least simpler electronically. The company made motorhomes from 23 feet up to 35 feet and the late-1960s is when they started, in Carson, California. Early models had cool names such as Mercury, Jupiter, Gemini, and Apollo. Remember when vehicle companies used real names for their vehicles?

This Apollo Neptune is set up for some serious camping duties and also for serious people hauling and lounging duties, too. With a side dinette that you can make up into a bed, it also has a bed over the two front seats that folds down for sleeping. This motorhome appears to have been updated a bit, at least as far as the flooring goes which probably would have been a nice, 1970s shag carpet in a mod color like orange or avocado green. A wood laminate floor is probably easier to keep clean and it sure looks slick but I may have chosen some sort of retro sheet vinyl if I wanted a hard surface rather than carpet here.

The really cool spot, though, was the rear lounge which I’m guessing has had the expansive seating surfaces recovered in a solid tone rather than what may have been a flowery print fabric at one time. It looks great everywhere I look here, I don’t see any issues really anywhere in this RV inside or out, do you? It even has another sink back there which is positively luxurious.

There’s a retro-correct (is that even a term?!) look if I’ve ever seen one so at least they kept it original in the bathroom, maybe right down to the flooring. A person could easily live in a rig like this if it came down to that and you could do much worse. It even has a shower, of course.

There were no attempts to take even a partial engine photo on this one which is unfortunate, but it’s a Dodge 413 cubic-inch V8. The company also used International engines and later Apollo models used Gillig and Oshkosh units. The seller says that this one has been sitting for several years but it starts, drives, turns, goes through the gears fine and stops. Have any of you heard of this model?