There are some really interesting and odd creations out there, but this Toronado Camper Conversion is definitely at the top of the list. Looking David G’s roadside sighting over, you really have to wonder what the builder was thinking when they put it together. There’s no word on whether it’s for sale, but I’m not sure you’d want to buy it even if it is!
From David – Saw this camper by the road at Desert Valley Auto Parts in Casa Grande, Arizona.
I have so many questions for the builder! Why are there two sets of rear wheels? Did they cut the camper roof like that or was that how it came? What in the world inspired this creation? Wouldn’t it have been cheaper and easier in the long run to just buy something like a Toyota Sunrader or really any other factory built RV? But most importantly, why? I suppose if they hadn’t built it, we wouldn’t get the chance to admire the insanity of their creation now!
All joking aside, it really is an interesting creation, so if you happen to know more about the story, we sure would love to hear it. And, if you come across any odd classics parked along the side of the road, be sure to send photos of it to us at mail@barnfinds.com!
Blecch!
If you were able to ask the builder questions, to understand his answers I think you’d need some hallucinogens.
My thoughts exactly.
MMM…Peyote! One of my favs…LOL
I was looking at the drivers door and wondering how difficult it would be to get in there. Then I thought why would I want to. The car door would be hard to reach, the side of the camper would be in your way, and the extended sleeper would be in your way.
It looks like it dropped there, literally from the sky. The front portion of the camper is sheared off the suspension is compresed and the tires are sunk in the ground, Definitely the after math of an alien encounter. I would get rid of the old heavy camper and replace with one of the light weight types, This has the same drive train as the GMC land yacht. With a eye to weight saving and an efi set up I see a 16- 18 mpg land dingy.
All I can say is …
Quoting Lroy: “Definitely the after math of an alien encounter.”
I think after a little math you would know this setup wouldn’t work.
It’s looks more like after doing some meth.
Math was never a factor in this build
That’s basic Redneck engineering. I had an uncle who built something similar out of an old Buick Roadmaster. Why? Because its what he had.
Maybe the 455 is worth the rebuild
If it is the original engine, it would be a 425
Seemed like a good idea at the time, lol
See the earlier reply about hallucinogens.
Looks like it’s been under a few too many low height bridges. And just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should.
It’s gonna need tires
It’s not a mobile RV.
He just backed his Olds in to a stationary camper…
How not to ruin a toranado …if there is such a thing lol
It would never have worked properly, the back two sets of wheel are to far apart, it would scrubb heavily when turning and want to rip itself apart. That’s got to be one of the most poorly constructed vehicles I’ve ever seen. As Nadar said unsafe at any speed. I think this would literally fall apart if you tried to move it, in fact give it another year or two and it will fall apart right where it sits. To me it looks like he tried to marry his holiday trailer to his car. The question you got to ask is why not just pull the trailer with the car. These big Oldsmobiles had plenty of power to do the job.
That’s exactly what I was thinking: why not just add a trailer hitch? Well where’s the fun in that.
A true Frankencamper!
Beverly hillbillies are upgrading
Actually it would be a down grade when their family became the road kill after taking a curve or speeding up past 20 mph
At least the colors of the stripes match. Nice way to ruin a Oldsmoblie!
A True Barn Find ,Just No Barn
I’ve never seen one like this before. I’ve seen pics of Toronado campers and motorhomes. But never one in person. I hope whoever buys this one can fix it up so that it can be driven and camped in.
It is at a wrecking yard so I doubt anybody will buy it to fix it.
It is being parted out.
The picture was crazy enough. But the awesome comments really pushed it to a new level. My thoughts? Maybe it was aliens who were on hallucinogens, scored some meth and named it Frankencamper? The matching paint really does it for me.
Structural integrity is my first concern. For any of you that don’t know how the original Toronados and Eldorados are built. The frame/subframe? only go back as far as the front of the rear leaf springs. Where the front of leaf spring is mounted. the rest of the rear of the car is uni-body. So once the rear of the body is removed there is no place to anchor the rear spring shackles.
JUST PLAIN SCARY TO ME!
My grandfather built a Toranado camper back in the 70s…with Lewis Parks a Indy 500 crewchief / mechanic…I drove it to Florida in the fall of 1981 My grandparents followed me to Florida in there ol Delta 88 drafting and gettin 29 mpg in a full size V8 sedan. It was sold for $3500 dollars…I often wonder what happened to that MANN A GO GO
Sometimes there are no words… lol.
Camper is toast from water damage. This is the ugliest and worst camper conversion I have ever seen. Pull that 455 for a good project sell the rest of the Toranado bits and junk the rest!
Reminds me of the cable TV van/camper in Disney’s “North Avenue Irregulars”. It’s an early ‘70s Econoline first seen as a cable van, then it’s disguised as a cut off camper. Ultimately, during the “demolition derby” scene, the phoney camper body gets ripped off and the van ends up driving back into it front first. This poor Tornado would probably like to turn around and hide in the camper shell as well
Donate it to your local fire department for training purposes.
Looks like a George Barris creation for the show “Green Acres” LMFAO!
At least the builder went to the trouble of matching the paint schemes. I appreciate that part of it. No matter what you do to this thing, I don’t think you would ever get 16 to 18 MPG from it. Golly a regular Toronado from this era could barely get more than ten, but you could plow snow with it.
The paint job screams 1979-81, which is when the Toro would have been valueless as a used car.
Honestly, it ought to be illegal to put such contraptions on the road.
I remember my neighbor Dode Martin, an old drag racing pioneer, built a car hauler with an early Toronado. He added another axle, kind of like this beast, but probably better engineered. Some highway patrol officer gave him a ticket because he did not have a commercial license to drive a three axle vehicle. So he took his CDL test in the Toro, they gave him some static but he said if I can get a ticket in this thing then I should be able to take the test in it…
Interesting what people do when they believe in themselves
I owned a 67 Toronado, and this abomination brings tears to my eyes. The guy that built it must have been on a bad LSD trip.
There were some comments on gas mileage, and I thought I would share that I kept track of my mileage, and actually averaged 17.5 mpg. This included using the air conditioning, which would have saved 1 mpg but living in south Texas at the time, that was not a viable option.
It was a wonderful car, one of the better cars I have owned. With the exception of the quadrajet leaking internally, which was a problem with a lot of early quadrajets, I had it for 10 years of trouble free driving.
The only problem was, that I traded a 64 Corvette for the car, and that is one transaction my wife would not forgive. If I brought the subject up right now, I would get a lecture. That is a lot of misery when you think that I got the car in 1970.
Bob
This takes ugly to previously unreached heights.
You don’t realise how important and significant this car is. This is the prototype for condorman one of our greatest heroes
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=condorman+camper&client=safari&hl=en-nz&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwje-aXf8YPcAhUjE6YKHQZDCJgQ_AUIESgB&biw=375&bih=553#imgrc=pEm0anRmqyfOYM:
I think the Olds owner put it in reverse and backed into a camper shell….
Love the interior!!!!
Kinda like the Eldo conversion that was on this site I think. It was from Galax Vir.
Dark blue in color. I can’t believe there is more than one. WHAT ARE WE COMING TO lol
alot of extreme comments, some enjoyably funny (U Go Jimmy). I just chalk it up to that well seen, particularly USAian form of expression:
Yard Art
the wavy lines (as seen down the side) of the siding R particularly appealing to me.
How do you un-see this?
It looks like camper cars were a thing, at least in one location:
http://greatdalehousecar.com/
That Caddy Camper looks great!
That roofline is weird but I’d say it’s worth restoring.
If you bought the toyota, I guess you would be permanently camping on the side if the road where it blew it’s engine and it’s frame rusted out
I see this sweet camper every day at work, we also have a 53 Cadillac camper, 1957 ChryCamino, And a 1953 CadCamino. Lots of unique visions failed to stand the test of time but all in all a great place to take a walk and see the history of classic cars. Desert Valley Auto Parts Casa Grande.
The Toronado in Casa Grande is still there. I pass it often travel to Cass Grande.
I was just there the other day. still there!