The Trans Van was a new variation of the theme of van-based motor homes, and became something of an icon. A bit odd, as it had a low roof, so standing up was not in the program. Maybe that was the key to its success: it appealed to younger buyers who saw it as cooler precisely for that reason. It was more of a party wagon than a genuinely functional camper. But its success sired imitators, including the Winnie Wagon by the dominant force in the industry, Winnebago. And it seems like this one may well have a pop-up roof, which the Trans Van did not have.
I haven’t seen one in ages, but William Ryan found one, and posted it to the Cohort. And it’s next to another similar vintage Dodge cutaway chassis motor home, but I’m not able to identify it.
Winnebago gave the Dodge its own custom grille. The other rig is a very nice looking one, something a bit bigger than the class-dominant Chinook. Actually both of them are in great shape; undoubtedly in the hands of someone who admires them. Given that RVs are commonly stored under a roof, and often accumulate very low mileages, it’s not surprising that they appeal to collectors, a growing segment of those that appreciate fine 1970’s artifacts, and ones that can be quite useful yet too.
The rear entry on the Winnie Wagon is on display here, and it’s a format I personally favor for some applications, including my own Promaster van build. It’s not ideal for towing, though, although one can work around it.
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That Winnie Wagon is awesome.
It’s interesting how Winnebago marketed the Winnie Wagon’s size to be a combination station wagon and RV. A lot of Winnebago’s promotional materials show them at Supermarkets (actually all the same Mayfair supermarket, where I guess they had a big photo shoot).
Said one ad:
“The Winnie Wagon is a rugged, functional, dependable ‘super’ station wagon large enough to carry half a dozen kids with lots of groceries, but sufficiently compact to park in a standard-size garage or carport.”
I can’t imagine, though, that many of these actually got put to use doing daily grocery runs. But I do like the concept, and the size, quite a bit.
I know that the similar Chinook was something of the ultimate mommie-mobile in Texas a decade or two ago, since the kids in the back could have their snacks from the fridge, there was full entertainment suite (pre smart phone era), a bathroom, powerful roof a/c, plenty of ac outlets, and more than enough room for however many kids were being transported.
And kitted-out Sprinter conversion vans are the coolest mommie-mobile these days. At least out here.
My ’85 Toyota motorhome’s manufacturer marketed it as a mommie-mobile, advertising that it could be parked in a regular parking space making it the ideal second vehicle for grocery runs and hauling kids around. The problem was that there wasn’t a single seatbelt to be found in the back.
While I doubt the majority of the owners used them as the family wagon some probably did use them as daily drivers. There was a family in our neighborhood who had a TransVan that was their daily driver, used for commuting by the husband.
When I was camping in the 80’s and 90’s as a kid a couple families we camped with had Class Bs that were used as kind of 2nd cars. For instance if one of the moms was picking up more then her kids at school we would ride in the back of one. I remember one family had a reg cab s10 a ford station wagon then an econoline class B. Another single mom had a Dodge Class B and a 2 door accord.
My parents had what was basically a class B (extended wheel base econoline with a bed, furnace, RV windows, wood paneling and shag carpet) and built by the prior owner. They ended up ripping out the rear bed for a couple more seats, a little while after buying and it became essentially a conversion van used for towing and group hauling.
I kind of want a promaster converion van for family road trips.
This was my daily driver for about 15 years, occasional driver for 15 years before that.
I like both vehicles, but I’m intrigued by the WinnieWagon. My wife and I are considering buying a smaller RV when we retire in the next 8-10 years to do some travelling, and the WinnieWagon looks like it would be fun to take on a trip.
Looks like that Winnie Wagon also got a custom hood as well as the grille. I don’t recall seeing that on a Dodge van before.
My 1980 Winnie Wagon ll is for sale.
Here’s an inside pic of my Winnie Wagon…