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Travelling throughout the Eastern Seaboard in the 70’s, the first time saw one eyes bulged!  It still looks great 30 years later. So after the jump take a look at Afer all Evel Knievil owned one.

It’s Thunderbirds and The A-Team rolled into one, a low and sleek sportscoach that stunned the RV industry when it launched in late 1972. Today, exactly thirty years after production stopped, the GMC Motorhome is becoming a cult icon.

The GMC is the muscle car of the RV world. It holds the land speed record for motorhomes, clocking 106mph at Bonneville last year. It’s been immortalized several times as a Hot Wheels toy.

It’s even had a movie career, starring in the 1981 Bill Murray comedy Stripes. But for those of you who grew up in the 70s, the GMC will always be known as Captain America’s van.

That’s pretty remarkable for an RV that only had a six-year production run. But there are many, many remarkable things about the GMC RV. For starters, it was the first RV created and built by an automaker—and to this day, no other automaker has taken that risk.

GM called the project TVS-4 (‘Travel Vehicle Streamlined, model 4’). For maximum grunt, it dropped in a mighty 455ci V8—the engine that powered the 1966 Toronado. A claimed 260 horses were fed through a three-speed gearbox to the front wheels; with no driveshaft running to the back axle, this gave the living area an extra-low floor and lots of headroom.

The GMC looked sharp from the start, sitting low on its haunches. But the front wheel drive gave traction problems on uphill grades, especially in heavy rain or snow. Handling was otherwise decent, helped by a low center of gravity and an air spring setup for the four wheels at the back.

You got the choice of a six-berth 26-foot or a (relatively rare) four-berth 23-foot. The sleek styling gave an amazingly low drag coefficient of 0.39. And the interior was funky even by 70s standards, designed with the help of House and Garden magazine. The wraparound glass looked cool, but in hot weather the large windows put a huge strain on the roof-mounted air conditioner.

At launch, the GMC cost between $12,000 and $16,000. And what a launch it was: the stock prices of all the other major RV manufacturers fell the very next day. Their vehicles suddenly looked very old. As the GMC sales brochure said, you could now buy a “motorhome that doesn’t look like a box or ride like a truck.”

GM originally pitched its motorhome as a ‘multi-purpose vehicle’ for extended living. That was mostly a marketing fantasy, but in 1975 GM did launch an unfurnished Transmode model. Soon, GMCs were being turned into everything from mobile recording studios to laboratories. The Transmode shells were farmed to conventional coachbuilders such as Coachmen, and even Coca-Cola got into the game, offering custom ‘Gadabout’ models as prizes.

And then, suddenly, the wheels came off the bus. The fuel crisis played a part: the GMC’s 8 to 10 mpg thirst was actually pretty good for a Class A with a big V8, but the running costs became too much for the American middle classes.

In 1977 GM shrank the engine to 403 cubes, but the sticker price had already soared to $38,000. There was no place for the world’s coolest RV any more: in 1978, the production line in Pontiac, Michigan was shut down.

Some 13,000 GMCs were made in all, and many are still on the road today. Winnebago RV released a thinly-veiled copy in the late 80s called the Spectrum 2000, and small numbers of other GMC replicas have been produced by companies such as Silver Motor Coach.

Today, thirty years on, the originals are relatively easy to keep on the road. Rebuilt engines are available for $3,000 or thereabouts, and the bodies are made from long-lasting aluminum and fiberglass.

Some owners restore their GMCs to showroom condition, while others update the interiors in superyacht or Airstream RV CCD style. The only real bugbear is the underlying frame—which could cost up to $10,000 to fix if decayed. But a thriving restoration industry makes it easy to keep the mechanicals in good running order, led by specialists such as Cooperative Motor Works.

There are two main categories of recreational vehicles (RV’s); motorized and towable. Towable RV’s include fifth wheels, travel trailers, folding/tent/pop-up campers, toy haulers, and park models. In this article, part I, fifth wheel campers and travel trailers will be covered. Part II of this article will discuss folding/tent/pop-up campers, toy haulers and park models.

FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER
Fifth wheel campers are the most expensive of the towable campers (with the exception of some park models). They have a gooseneck hitch that is hooked up in the bed of the truck (a special package needs to be installed in the truck bed to accommodate the hitch).

In addition to the spaciousness and many amenities of fifth wheel, they are a popular towable camper because they are easier to tow than a travel trailer. That is because the weight of the fifth wheel is more centered and better distributed than with a travel trailer that is hooked up to the rear of the towing vehicle. That makes a fifth wheel camper more stable and much easier to control in windy conditions or when dealing with the back drafts from semi trucks on the freeway.

The distinctiveness of the fifth wheel trailer comes from its bi-level design. The raised section is often a master sleeping suite. A popular floor plan for families has the master suite on one end of the camper and a bunk bed sleeping area on the other end. Another popular floor plan, and my favorite, has a master bedroom suite on the raised end and a relaxing area with recliners and a full length window on the other end.

Fifth wheel campers usually have awesome kitchen areas. Some common amenities in the kitchen area include full-size pantries; full-size refrigerators, stoves, ovens and microwaves; ample cabinets and countertop space; and even snack bar areas for casual dining.

Fifth wheel campers are popular with families and people who do a lot of camping because they’re very comfortable and roomy.

Almost all new fifth wheels made today have slide-out areas to give you even more room. When you walk through a fifth wheel camper with slide-outs you’ll notice how spacious it feels because of the extra interior width they give you. Keep in mind though that every slide-out adds extra weight to the camper, adds to the cost, and adds to the setup time at the campsite.

When looking at fifth wheel campers make sure the ones you are looking at are not too heavy for your truck to pull.

One of the really nice things with having a towable camper such as a fifth wheel is that once you have the camper situated in the campsite, you can unhook the vehicle from the camper and go off and explore. Hooking and unhooking a fifth wheel from a truck doesn’t take that long to do either - usually only a few minutes. It usually takes longer to hook the camper up to the water and electric facilities than it does to hook or unhook the hitch.

There are some disadvantages of fifth wheel campers. A heavy duty truck (think more expensive truck) is needed to pull them, which adds to the expense of owning a fifth wheel. The hitch for the trailer is in the bed of the truck which limits the functionality of the truck bed. Some people take the hitch out of the truck bed when they’re not using the fifth wheel, but that can be a cumbersome and time-consuming process. And, some people do not like the bi-level design with the extra steps, because the only steps they want to have to navigate are the ones to get in and out of the camper.

TRAVEL TRAILER
Travel trailers are the most popular towable camping trailer in the United States. They come in many different weights and lengths. Some are light enough to be pulled by a van or SUV. A heavy duty truck isn’t always needed. Because they are hitched to and pulled by using a rear hitch, a travel trailer doesn’t use up truck bed space like a fifth wheel trailer does.

They are lighter than fifth wheels and aren’t quite as long as fifth wheel trailers. And, depending on the size the trailer, they can be very spacious with lots of great amenities including: nice-size kitchens, a bathroom, living and dining areas, and multiple sleeping areas.

Travel trailers are less expensive than fifth wheel trailers but can have the same amenities as a fifth wheel trailer which is probably the main reason they are the most popular towable travel trailer sold. They are also the oldest type of RV. Airstream has been making travel trailers for over 70 years.

Slide-outs are popular in today’s travel trailers. But again, they add weight, set-up time and cost.

When looking at travel trailers keep in mind that, in many cases, a 30 foot trailer is a trailer that is 30 feet when both the trailer itself and the front hitch are measured together. A 30 foot trailer may only have 27 feet of usable living space. Ask questions and look at the printed specifications when doing your shopping so you know what you will be getting. To be absolutely sure of the dimensions, take along a measuring tape and measure the length, width, and height of the travel trailer yourself - especially if the space in your driveway or storage area is limited.

Because of the popularity of SUV’s, many manufacturers now offer lightweight and ultra-light travel trailers. They are attractive to many RV purchasers because the majority of the trailers in these categories can be pulled by SUV’s, minivans, or medium-sized trucks. Keep in mind though that “lightweight” is a relative term. In the travel trailer world, “lightweight” typically means a trailer that weighs less than 4,000 pounds.

The biggest disadvantage of a travel trailer is how it tows. Because they are pulled using a rear hitch versus the truck bed hitch used with fifth wheels, they are not as stable. Larger travel trailers can be difficult to control in windy conditions and hard to maneuver into a campsite. If you have a large travel trailer, such as one of the 35 foot models and your towing vehicle is 15 feet long, you have 50 feet of “vehicle” to maneuver from place to place.

That’s not to say owning a travel trailer is going to be a bad experience. Millions of people own travel trailers and are very happy with them. Just make sure you have a vehicle capable of towing the travel trailer, a good hitch, good side mirrors on your vehicle for unobstructed views, and have a willingness to learn how to adjust your driving habits to accommodate having a travel trailer hooked to your vehicle.

A trailer that is more comfortable, sheltered and protected than a tent and can be towed behind a road vehicle is known as a travel trailer. It makes your vacations and weekends perfect. Without having to be combined with a motor like the class C motorhome, it provides some home- like amenities on the road. A disadvantage is a vehicle that can pull the weight is needed as the trailer is to be towed.

When you arrive at a destination, you can unhitch the trailer, leave it in your campground space, and use the family car to tour, go eat, or to buy supplies. One of the big advantages is that you get a mini-home minus the hefty price tag of class A’s and class C’s because you aren’t paying for a motor vehicle.

The caravans are referred to as Class C travel trailers, and in many places that are not in the US, people live in the small class A travel trailers even while travelling. Both these have similar qualities, and form a family of vehicles. Some others that belong to the family are motor homes, pop-up trailers as well as teardrop trailers. They may altogether be termed as recreational vehicles. They are sometimes known as RVs.

Travel trailers vary from small basic models which can be a tent on wheels to those containing several rooms with all the furniture and equipments of motor homes. It can be difficult for the consumers to choose from.

There are four main types of travel trailers for sale to choose from. The trailer coach is a favorite with families because they can load it up and go to the place they want to go. Fifth wheels are in top positions today. These are often 30-40 feet in length. Fold-down trailers offer the convenience of a tent on wheels that is portable and easy to tow. There are also telescoping trailers, which have the advantage of contracting the volume and weight of class A travel trailers or class C travel trailers with rigid structures. Airstream travel trailers, as well as Camper Trailers are pretty common, and so are the traditional caravans. Camper Trailers stand out because they can travel off the road.

There are many design schemes, which the customers can choose from, as the travel trailer builders will want them to be satisfied. Through web sites one can hunt for manufacturers as well as dealers, and there will be a wide variety to choose from. The manufacturers will provide support to the dealers and it will be covered nationwide.

RV means Recreational Vehicle for sale. From the moment that name was coined, it has been a work in progress. There are now three almost distinct classes of motorhomes, Class A, Class B, and Class C, and who knows how many classes of towable travel or camping trailers. There are the little SUVs which, once the back seats are folded down and you stretch out qualifies as a Class B motorhome or camper; and there are ATVs which in the minds of many aren’t good for anything but recreation and doctor bills.

Let’s try to make a little sense of this. We will start with the three classes, A, B, and C:

Class A motorhomes for sale are generally defined by some as “if it has a flat front end, fromtop to bottom, it is Class A.” these motorhomes are purpose-built or conversions, usually built on bus chassis. They range in length width and height all over the map, and are powered by whatever fuel the manufacturer currently prefers for its vehicles. Class A motorhomes are generally considered the luxury class of motorhome, and the prices of these units range into the seventh significant digit, and you needn’t consider that to be an upper limit.

Class C motorhomes include most truck chassis purpose-built and conversions and are often in a cab-over configuration. As the field of RVs has grown over the years, the size of these vehicles has also grown, and now you can get a Class B RV to rival the dimensions of a Class A. The appointments in some Class C motorhomes rival Class A motorhomes or hotel suites or condos. C may be the third letter in the alphabet, but it is not taking a back seat to the Class A’s these days.

Class B motorhomes for sale is the least defined class in the industry. Sometimes defined as a “camper van.” Class B motorhomes can range from an old VW microbus or Westphalia to the latest conversion of a large van or a purpose-built motorhome which can still be classified as a “van.” These motorhomes, too are forging ahead with slide-outs and features which used to be only available in Class A motorhomes.

Towed RVs or “trailers” range from huge fifth wheelers to lowly homebuilt pop-up tents on utility trailer frames. They come in all shapes and sizes and shapes and vary in accessories from nothing to tons of stuff packed into an old or new “airstream.”