1960 International Harvester Housecar – Palm Springs Modernism Week 2011.

We are towards the home stretch here with the vintage trailer show series from Palm Springs. Some of you might be a little tired of all the aluminum-clad travel trailers so here is something different for a change: A custom-made 1960 International Harvester Housecar.

Ahem, stop looking at the girl with the letterman’s jacket. We are talking about the blue truck here.

If you like what you see, I am sorry because you are out of luck. This thing is one of a kind. It was made by the original owner between 1960 and 1963 who was a professional boat builder. He used it as his personal camper during his road trip to Alaska via the Alaskan highway.

Everything here is hand made by a master craftsman down to the wood burning stove and ice box out of wood, aluminum and fiberglass. The tilted roof gave it well over 7 feet of standing head room towards the rear and all of it is in perfect working condition. The builder passed away in the 1970s and the truck was kept in the family the entire time until 2010 when the current lucky owners took possession of this magnificent gem. It is hard to put a value on something like this as there is nothing else to measure it up against. It is probably not for everyone but most can certainly appreciate the uniqueness and craftsmanship that went into designing and building this camper.

Ava was happy to finally find something that was her size.

Being inside this camper you really get a feeling of what it must have been like driving through British Columbia on the Alaskan Highway.

Warming up cans of pork n’ bean on your wood burning stove serenaded by Gene Autry on your AM tube radio. Yeeehaw.

over and out,
dan