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Upfront disclosure: I have absolutely no need for an RV. Even if I did, I have absolutely no place to store an RV.
A year or so ago, one of my co-workers bought a 1979 Revcon. For those who are like I was and have no idea what this is, the Revcon was a fancy Class A RV designed around a FWD Oldsmobile Toronado powertrain (455 V8 & Turbo 425 transmission). I'm told GMC more-or-less commissioned Revcon to prove the concept was feasible/practical for production, and the Revcon went on sale in 1971. Satisfied with this proof of concept, GMC went all-in and built their own equivalent which was launched for 1973. GMC pulled the plug on their own model at the end of the 1978 model year; at this point, Revcon underwent a slight restyle (along with a switch to Chevy 454 power) and continued being produced through 1990.
The early Revcons are easy to identify; they have flat noses and a single rear axle:
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The GMC Motorhome had a sloped nose and four rear tires:
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When the GMC was dropped, Revcon copied their sloped front end as well as the four rear tire arrangement:
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Revcon and GMC shared some common design elements, such as extensive use of aircraft-grade aluminum for the exterior skin, interior skin and the fully-boxed frame. I'm told they used high-density fiberglass insulation in the walls and extensive plastic paneling throughout. This all means that these vehicles don't absorb moisture and rot like typical RVs, thus allowing them to live significantly longer lives and/or be easier to restore if one were so inclined.
So, why do I bring this up? Because I am intrigued. As I said, my co-worker bought one for peanuts simply because he learned about them and thought it would be cool to have one. That turned out to be fortuitous, as last month he suddenly found himself between apartments with no place to live... so he's been living in his RV for a few weeks now. It's no Taj Mahal, but OTOH you can't drive the Taj Mahal from one place to another as the mood strikes.
Anyway, does anybody here have any experience with these things?
A year or so ago, one of my co-workers bought a 1979 Revcon. For those who are like I was and have no idea what this is, the Revcon was a fancy Class A RV designed around a FWD Oldsmobile Toronado powertrain (455 V8 & Turbo 425 transmission). I'm told GMC more-or-less commissioned Revcon to prove the concept was feasible/practical for production, and the Revcon went on sale in 1971. Satisfied with this proof of concept, GMC went all-in and built their own equivalent which was launched for 1973. GMC pulled the plug on their own model at the end of the 1978 model year; at this point, Revcon underwent a slight restyle (along with a switch to Chevy 454 power) and continued being produced through 1990.
The early Revcons are easy to identify; they have flat noses and a single rear axle:
The GMC Motorhome had a sloped nose and four rear tires:
When the GMC was dropped, Revcon copied their sloped front end as well as the four rear tire arrangement:
Revcon and GMC shared some common design elements, such as extensive use of aircraft-grade aluminum for the exterior skin, interior skin and the fully-boxed frame. I'm told they used high-density fiberglass insulation in the walls and extensive plastic paneling throughout. This all means that these vehicles don't absorb moisture and rot like typical RVs, thus allowing them to live significantly longer lives and/or be easier to restore if one were so inclined.
So, why do I bring this up? Because I am intrigued. As I said, my co-worker bought one for peanuts simply because he learned about them and thought it would be cool to have one. That turned out to be fortuitous, as last month he suddenly found himself between apartments with no place to live... so he's been living in his RV for a few weeks now. It's no Taj Mahal, but OTOH you can't drive the Taj Mahal from one place to another as the mood strikes.
Anyway, does anybody here have any experience with these things?
