While searching for Dopest Cars this week, I found a piece that made me droop my chin and rub my eyes. Once I confirmed that my vision was indeed effective, I clicked on the ad and viewed the pictures. This Ford E-450 sold in 1999 was originally a van, but now it is a tall cabin, which actually looks very comfortable.
The previous commercial vehicle was my favorite customized RV version. They touched on reusing vehicles that may have been disposed of, and they made the creativity of the builders crazy. Some of them are box trucks, they turned into campers and still look like a box truck on the outside. Others, such as this 1999 Ford E-450, threw the cargo box on a fully customized thing.
According to the advertisement, the car was manufactured by Carpenter Owl, a company that manufactures small houses in Bloomington, Indiana. It is called a concert car. If it weren't for the pandemic, it could have been used as a venue for performances and small concerts. Sellers also call it RV and have registered as RV.
It is said that the living space bolted to the back is made of a mixture of wood and metal, with wool insulation on the floor, walls and ceiling:
The floor box and ceiling are framed with 2x6s, and the wall is framed with 2x4s. The walls are designed with a rain protection system, including Blockit housing packaging, cedar purlins and poplar tongue and groove siding. The rafters are cut from 2x12s to create curved ceilings and vaulted roofs. The roof is made of No. 12 aluminum-zinc-plated metal sheet, spread on a 1/4 inch thick layer, with Grace's ice and water shielding rubber membrane on top.
Cut all the wires. It is modular, including wire strippers, crimpers and wire cutters. It is specially designed to handle data cables such as Ethernet cables.
Its interior is a similar story, with multiple surfaces including white pine, elm, maple, cedar, poplar, and walnut. The Concert Car seems to be equipped with most of the necessities, and the kitchenette is equipped with a sink, stove, toaster and refrigerator. It also has a bathroom with a soaking bathtub and composting toilet.
As a family or RV, people really don’t have much room to sleep. It has an attic with two beds, nothing more. The rest of the space is used for the living room and concert stage.
Oh, yes, you can open the curtains in the kitchen and remove a few wooden boards from the attic to make a small concert stage with a capacity of 20 people. Part of the concert car is built so that artists can perform small performances.
This equipment may not be a good choice for off-road travel. If you have driven an old E-450 truck, you will know that this kind of driving time is very bad. There is a 7.3-liter Ford Power Stroke turbo diesel V8 under the hood, and the fuel economy will be in the teens, if not lower. But what about local camping trips or parking on certain lands in summer?
It looks very warm. I can see myself curled up reading a book in one of the chairs, covered with a blanket.
Another disadvantage is the price. For the asking price of $80,000, there are many other RVs and even small houses. You can buy an old Prevost coach, or that school bus with a roof fire pit. Still, it's cool to use it as a weekend thing.