To think there was a time when, if you wanted the “Cadillac of RVs,” coachbuilders could make such wishes reality. Such conversions were never common—in fact, they were quite rare—but a few survivors still turn up for sale now and then. We featured one a while back, HERE. None, however, in the like-new condition of the one seen in these vintage photos, which were likely taken not long after this Cadillac began its second life as an RV.
Although Cadillac had a long-wheelbase commercial chassis (they sold 2,169 of them in 1957), RV builders usually got them second-hand, converting chassis that had previously had ambulance or hearse bodies. As conversions, they vary considerably in both execution and aesthetics. The two-tone treatment on this one is among the better-looking examples I’ve seen. Not that I love it… but it’s certainly distinctive.
Whoever owned this one wasn’t that great a photographer, but made up for that by documenting some of the conversion process. Here’s the Caddy, in its former life as a hearse, with its 1965 Minnesota license plate.
And voilà, ready to roam the world! The photos look like they’re somewhere in the Southwest? So could it be the Caddy’s maiden long-distance trip?
How about the interior? Plenty of photos of that, and thankfully, amateur photographer knew how to use a flash—even if centering a shot was another matter. I’ll leave it to the RV experts to weigh in on these accommodations. Still, considering this was the early days of the RV era, I’d imagine there was plenty of room for improvement in some of these arrangements.
And here, the view to the cabin, where some of its 1950s Cadillac layout and wraparound can be seen.
For 1957, Cadillac’s commercial chassis used the same 365-cubic-inch (6.0L) OHV V-8 as the passenger cars, with 300 hp at 4,800 rpm and 400 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. So, plenty of power to spare. Stopping power, on the other hand, could be a whole different matter…
On a personal note, the clash between 1950s Cadillac styling and that boxy RV body takes some getting used to. But the color combo on this one feels well thought out, and as a whole, I actually prefer it to some of the other examples that have survived. So, if I had to pick a “Cadillac of RVs,” this one might just be my choice.
Folks had been building motorhomes on car and light trucks chassis since the teens, so this was just a practical extension of that, as the Cadillac commercial chassis was of course highly regarded. As to its interior, these tend to reflect both the builder’s personal preferences as well as the popular approach to RVs at the time. It looks pretty typical in that regard. I’m only seeing a single bed across the very back and no obvious bed in the cab-over section so maybe this was built by a single person?