The van is a 2004 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with 229,000 miles on it. Incredibly, it was built for less than $10,000. In a tour on his DualEx YouTube channel, Sharrieff Fareed shows us every inch of the conversion, which includes some clever touches in its cozy living space. 

Gallery: 2004 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Stealth Camper

Inside, the van has a full kitchen with running water. In the back, an entertainment area converts into a bedroom. The cab is pretty much stock except for a screen that shows the rear and sides of the van, something that’s very helpful when driving. The camera system also doubles up as a security system to monitor the van while it’s parked. 

One of the unique features is that the passenger seat swivels around to a workstation. Behind it, a desk slides out from a cabinet and opens, providing plenty of room for a laptop and other equipment essential for remote work. When closed, it adds counter space to the kitchen.   

The kitchen area includes features that would make some homeowners jealous. Custom cabinets offer lots of storage, including a drawer for utensils. The propane stove has a glass top to cover it when it’s not in use, adding to the counter space. A small sink includes a cutting board cover and a drying rack. Next to the sliding door, a cabinet serves as a mud closet and includes a pullout for a trash can. 

Learning from his previous builds, Fareed added extra insulation and improved the van’s ventilation. The floor includes an inch and a half of foam insulation in addition to a plywood subfloor. The walls and ceiling are covered with an inch and a half of batting insulation which made an immediate difference in the interior temperature of the van as he was building it. 

While not as large as the Izuzu box truck or the Mitsubishi Fuso we saw recently, the build is every bit as clever and makes the most of the limited space. If anything, its smaller size is more convenient, making it smaller to park and easier to hide in plain sight.  

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King Carl XVI Gustaf ascended to Sweden’s throne in 1973 – the same year the Royal Stables acquired this Mercedes. He’s the longest-serving monarch in the country’s history and the first to reign for 50 years, according to ABC News.

Gallery: 1973 Mercedes-Benz 280S From King Of Sweden

This Mercedes is relatively spartan from what you’d probably expect from a car for transporting royalty. The 280S is the base version of the S-Class at the time. It has a Solex-carburetor-equipped 2.8-liter inline-six making 158 horsepower (118 kilowatts) and a four-speed automatic. The interior has a mix of blue fabric and vinyl. There’s no air conditioning.

The Swedish Royal Stables kept this Mercedes from March 1973 to June 1979. The auction includes service records through 1983. The Mercedes needs some attention to make it worthy of royalty again. There’s some exterior damage, chipped paint, and missing trim. The driver’s seat fabric has some tears, and the floors need cleaning. The listing says the engine starts easily. The odometer shows 332,619 kilometers (206,680 miles).

Being the king of Sweden is a ceremonial role and doesn’t come with a leadership role in the nation’s government. The person acts as head of state to meet with foreign dignitaries and gets to present the Nobel Prizes to the winners, according to the Associated Press.

This generation of S-Class goes by the internal designation W116. Production ran from 1972, and the company built 473,035 examples of the sedan at the Sindelfingen plant through 1979.

The 450SEL 6.9 was the performance-focused variant of this iteration. It used a 6,834-cc V8 engine making 286 hp and 405 lb-ft for the European-market version. The sport sedan had hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension.

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In this video on the LegitStreetCars’ YouTube channel, we see a 1981 DeLorean undergo a complete exterior restoration. After sitting neglected for 32 years, it was purchased by Alex, the owner of LegitStreetCars, and is slowly being brought back to life. It didn’t look too bad after an initial wash, which restored some of the stainless steel’s luster. But there were a lot of things under the surface that needed attention. 

Gallery: 1981 DeLorean DMC-12

The first step was to refinish the stainless steel, including straightening out a crease in one of the body panels and fixing several dents. The metal alloy is remarkably resilient and highly resistant to corrosion, retaining its shine even if it sits outside for years. Next, the stainless steel surface was scoured and re-grained to look like new. 

The other restoration work and reassembly took up the bulk of the time. The front and rear bumpers were removed and refinished. The original 14-inch wheels were cleaned and powder-coated. Parts like headlight buckets and the lower radiator grille were sanded and repainted. New old stock hardware and trim were tracked down and prepped for reassembly.  

However, refinishing and repainting the parts proved easier than putting things back together. Alex ran into a host of issues dissembling the car, including broken fasteners, missing bolts, frayed wiring, and damaged trim. Additionally, DeLoreans are not known for their fit and finish, so panel gaps are the norm. It takes Alex several attempts to get the front and rear bumpers to line up with minimal gaps. 

Next, it’s on to trim, replacing broken or missing pieces, and applying new decals. Frayed wiring and damaged light sockets are replaced. Everything is aligned and reassembled before Alex applies a ceramic coating to the stainless steel. 

The final result is a spectacular transformation. Even though it doesn’t run, the stainless steel sports car looks brand new. In total, Alex spent about 120 hours cleaning, refinishing, and reinstalling the DeLorean’s parts. It’s a significant effort, but one that makes the car look like it went back in time. 

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Both place the living area at the back, with the living room, dining area, and kitchen between the slide-out portions. The bedroom is located at the front of the camper, with the bathrooms separating the two areas. 

Gallery: Ember Touring Edition Camper Trailers

The 29RS model features a rear sofa with two slide-out sections for more floor space. The trailer has theater seating across from the entertainment cabinet, a free-standing table with chairs, the EmberLink Smart RV control system, and dimmable interior and exterior LED lighting. 

The kitchen features a three-burner cooktop, a 21-inch oven, a stainless-steel sink on the island, and seamless countertops. In the bathroom, the camper comes with a porcelain foot-flush toilet, a skylight with a 12-volt fan, and a shower. The bathroom also has a wardrobe that can accommodate a washer and dryer.

The 29MRS comes with a similar floor plan but with a different bedroom. This model features a Murphy bed in the Ember-FlexSuite. The bed can transform into a pair of chairs, turning the bedroom into a roomy office space during the day and increasing the camper’s capability. 

The 29MRS features the same trifold hideaway rear sofa, theater seating, kitchen, and bathroom. It’s also a bit more expensive, starting at $69,442 compared to the $68,097 29RS offering.

Exterior features include prep for Starlink, an outdoor shower hookup, side and rooftop solar panels, a 55-gallon fresh water tank, 16-inch Goodyear Endurance tires, an electric awning with dimmable LEDs, and custom rims. Available options include a soft-start air conditioner, wireless rear and side cameras, an off-grid solar package, a 270-amp-hour lithium-ion battery, and more.

The trailer measures 35 feet, 10 inches long, and 11 feet, 8 inches tall with the air conditioner. It’s eight feet wide and features Dexter Torsion tandem axles with self-adjusting electric brakes. It has a one-piece PVC roof, an Evermore composite floor, aluminum frame construction, composite walls, and a gel-coated fiberglass exterior.

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While the Westfalia brand is most often associated with Volkswagen in the US, the company makes camper conversions for other brands. It was acquired by DaimlerChrysler in the early 2000s and made the James Cook camper based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. A few James Cook campers made their way to the US shores as the Dodge Sprinter Westfalia and were sold by Airstream. However, sales never lived up to expectations, and Airstream stopped importing them in 2006.    

Westfalia was later acquired by France’s Rapido Group, a consortium that also owns Roadtrek, a Canadian camper brand. Recently Roadtrek began working to secure Westfalia’s return to the North American market to complement its core lineup of camper vans. It believes the Westfalia brand still has value despite being gone from North America for almost two decades. 

No details were provided about the Westfalia camper itself. Based on what can be seen in the lead picture, the Westphalia appears to be a full-size van with a front bumper that resembles the Ram ProMaster. Using the ProMaster as a starting point makes sense. Westfalia offers the Columbus camper in Europe based on the Fiat Ducato, the ProMaster’s Italian sibling.  

In Europe, the Ducato-based Westfalia Columbus camper van features a classic floor plan and is equipped with an optional pop-up roof. It includes a raised rear double bed, a kitchenette on the passenger side, and a bathroom on the driver’s side. At the front, a dinette includes a two-seat rear bench and uses the swivel cab seats. On some models, the dinette can be converted into a bed.  

We expect to learn more details after the RV Dealer Open House, which is scheduled for September 25-27, where Roadtrek is one of the exhibitors. Roadtrek currently offers 10 models based on the Ram ProMaster, including the Play Slumber and Zion Slumber, two campers that feature pop-top sleeping areas. 

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First off, no this isn’t a barn. The term barn find has evolved to encompass any automotive discovery of an abandoned or forgotten nature, and that includes a claimed 200-plus collection stacked into an old warehouse. The video title states this is an old museum, but whatever it is, this is home to a mighty impressive collection of classics.

Where do we start? The video opens with classic American muscle, namely a pair of first-generation Camaros with a red Shelby Mustang – possibly a 1969 GT500 – in between. We see many more Mustangs throughout the nine-minute clip, including a rare 1968 Shelby GT500KR convertible. Provided it’s not a clone or replica, it’s one of just 518 produced and it could be quite valuable. A red 1968 KR recently sold through Barrett-Jackson for $205,000.

And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The video takes us past numerous American classics from the 1950s and 1960s, including a sea of big-fin-era Cadillacs. There are also numerous sedans and coupes from the 1920s and 1930s, and not all of them are American. The video zooms in on a classic Rolls-Royce, and later on we glimpse a Volvo P1800. Looking for something more modern? Check out the Mercedes G-Class partially under a cover, not to mention the Dodge Dakota convertible pickup truck that launched in the late 1980s.

And then we come to the Auburns. Wait, what?

Yes, there could be a pair of Auburn Boattail Speedsters sitting in a corner of the warehouse, parked near the Camaros we mentioned at the start of the video. We strongly emphasize could be here, because these cars are exceedingly rare and valuable and as such, replicas do exist. The video footage isn’t clear enough to capture detail, and sadly we never get a close-up look. But the light blue model has markings similar to those of a supercharged Boattail. To showcase how wild it would be to find one collecting dust in an old warehouse, a 1935 851 SC Speedster sold at auction earlier this year for $747,500.

The video doesn’t offer any information regarding the history of these cars, who might own them, or where the building is. Considering what’s inside, the location is probably best kept a secret. Hopefully, someone steps in soon to bring these classics back to life.

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The Trade Wind has three heated 270-amp-hour Lithium Battle Born batteries for a total of 810 amp hours. There are 600 watts of solar panels on the roof, and a monitor in the cabin allows for monitoring the setup’s output. A 3,000-watt inverter/charger can simultaneously run the microwave and 15,000 BTU air conditioner. There’s also a SmartPlug 30-amp shore power hookup that can recharge the batteries.

Gallery: 2024 Airstream Trade Wind Travel Trailer

The batteries and solar panels allow this trailer to operate off the grid for extended periods, and Airstream also gives this model a 3.0-inch suspension lift versus its other models. This provides improved ground clearance when going off-road. The trailer rides on 29.3-inch Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse tires.

The Trade Wind is available solely in a 25-foot size and a single floor plan with a separate bathroom and shower, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a lounge. The kitchen cabinets have upgraded hardware to keep the doors secure when going over rough terrain.

There’s room to sleep five people. A queen-size bed is standard, but a pair of twin beds become an option in 2024.

Two interior color palettes are available. Terracotta features a dark red upholstery, and Fieldstone has gray fabric. Options include a composting toilet, a convection microwave with an air fryer, and a rear hatch door with a sliding screen.

The trailer weighs 6,200 pounds and has a total gross vehicle weight rating of 7,300 pounds, meaning owners can load it with up to 1,100 pounds of gear. The fresh, gray, and black water tanks all have a 39-gallon capacity.

Airstream has an eye towards the future of trailer campers. It recently partnered with the design agency Studio F.A. Porsche  – part of Porsche AG – to create a concept imaging the next generation. The model featured an aerodynamic shape, an insulated pop-up roof, and a lowering suspension. The companies hid the water tanks and batteries beneath the floor.

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This 1976 Toyota Chinook listed on Bring A Trailer was refurbished not long ago. Keeping with the 1970s decor, it received new brick-patterned wallpaper, woodgrain flooring, and a folding Naugahyde sofa bed. Yet it was also tastefully updated with solar panels, a concealed Porta-Potti, and a backup camera. 

Gallery: 1976 Toyota Chinook Pop-Top Camper

Inside, the pop-top camper includes a small kitchenette with a sink, a two-burner cooktop, and a 12-volt refrigerator. Despite its small size, there is abundant storage in the form of cabinets, space underneath the couch, and shelves that line the underside of the pop-up roof. Large sliding windows give the camper an airy feel to what would otherwise be a claustrophobic space.   

Toyota trucks of the mid to late 1970s used a carburated 2.2-liter 20R four-cylinder engine, typically mated to a four-speed manual transmission or three-speed automatic. The stout engine proved extremely durable but only produced between 90 and 97 horsepower and about 122 pound-feet of torque. The dearth of power meant that the approximately 3,500-pound camper could only make slow and steady progress as it roamed the countryside. 

Even though the Toyota Chinook pop-top camper is smaller than something like the Dodge Ram pop-top or even the Chevrolet Blazer Chalet, it makes the most of its usable space. It’s closer to the size and performance of a vintage Volkswagen Vanagon camper and just as livable. Recently, Volkswagen announced it would start making a camper version of the Multivan known as the T7 California.

In 2021, Toyota revealed a Toyota Tacoma overland camper concept at SEMA. Inspired by the original 1970s Toyota Chinooks, it was dubbed Tacozilla but, unfortunately, never made it to production.  

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The owner, Gordon, purchased the bus for just over two thousand dollars from a school district auction. He started without a concrete plan for converting the bus, just some ideas for making it flexible and useable in various ways. While he doesn’t live in his rig full-time, he does work out of it and uses it as a tool for his business. 

Gallery: Max Max Style School Bus Camper

After buying the bus, Gordon began tearing it down, shortening the interior space to build a cargo deck. He worked a solid month to fabricate all the structural components but spent the last two years adding details and building out the interior. The work is a passion project for him as he continues to add refinements and make improvements. 

The two decks store equipment and haul materials for Gordon’s different work projects. The top deck has a sturdy wire mesh floor, great for securing items with tie-downs and bungee cords. The bottom deck is a work platform with a removable canopy and a crane for lifting heavy objects. Gordon says he got the idea for the layout and the crane from how intermodal shipping containers are moved around. 

Inside the front of the bus are four captain chairs, all of the electronic controls, and a workstation. A kitchen includes a small sink, refrigerator-freezer combo, and stove. At the rear of the interior are more cubbies for storage and a bedroom area that can be partitioned off for privacy. 

Even though the bus has a Mad Max vibe with its flat, dark grey exterior and unique layout, Gordon insists the design and aesthetics were built to be functional. He admits the vehicle looks like something a prepper would own but says the survivalist mentality didn’t influence his design. He has no illusions of surviving a zombie apocalypse and never worries about where to buy diesel fuel if the world ends.  

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The project starts by stripping parts off the van. The builders add a coating to the underbody, fenders, and side sills. The rest of the body gets a greenish-gray coat of paint. Cutting into the body makes space for adding windows and skylights. A custom-built water tank mounts underneath the vehicle.

The interior receives insulation on the floor and walls. The builders engineer a power bed lift to make it easier to unload the couple’s e-bikes out of the back. The kitchenette includes a tiny oven and refrigerator. Magnetic panels hold knives and other utensils. There are also some clever storage solutions, like a cubby for holding laptops. A fully reclining chair offers a spot to relax.

The roof features solar panels that can tilt upward to maximize their effectiveness. This also makes the skylights more functional by not blocking the sunlight from entering the cabin.

What makes this van so impressive is that it is all custom. The build starts as a cargo vehicle with an open rear. From there, the couple outfits the rig to become a motorhome that can take them on outdoor adventures.

The builders are selling the complete plans for this build for $125. It includes the parts list, 3D models, and custom water tank instructions. There’s also access to the couple’s Van Design Course.

In the United States, the Fiat Ducato is the Ram ProMaster van, and it’s also a frequently used platform for building motorhomes. For example, Winnebago introduced the Solis Pocket 36B using this model as the basis in July 2023. The model has a compact floor plan that packs a dinette and a wet bath into the small space. The shower is at the back, which means owners can open the rear doors to enjoy getting clean while enjoying the outdoors.

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