One of my favorite things to do is take a peek through RV history to see what wild ideas builders have had. Every time I think I’ve found the snazziest or most eccentric RVs out there, another awesome piece of history pops up. This time, we have something opulent, rare, and just a little weird all at the same time. In the 1970s, Richard Edler wanted to travel with his family and four Saint Bernards in comfort, so he built the massive Camelot Cruiser as a luxurious way to travel. Then, he built two more.
The story of this trio of opulent RVs starts with Edler & Company Inc of Morton Grove, Illinois. Originally formed in 1938 as Atlas Van Lines, this company specialized in third-party logistics. The company also incorporated Edler Warehousing LLC in 1962, and it continues to operate today under that name and Edler & Company, offering warehousing, inventory management, and distribution. A vintage photo on Edler Warehousing’s site shows that in decades past it offered storage and moving services. Atlas Van Lines is still around today as well, and you’ve probably seen the company’s trucks during a road trip.
As RV Travel writes, back in the early 1970s, Richard “Dick” Edler, then president of Edler & Company, began planning out a way to travel with his family. Edler sought out an RV that could not only sustain his family through their travels but bring along the family’s four Saint Bernards for the trip as well. It’s unclear what motivated him to build his own RVs, but at some point, Edler decided he needed an opulent RV with comfort, loads of style, and even some cargo-hauling capabilities. This RV would be built by subsidiary Camelot Cruisers in Skokie, Illinois and tailored to meet the family’s needs.
The first Camelot Cruiser built was this 1970 model.
Up front is a Ford C-900 heavy-duty truck powered by a 391 FT big block V8. That’s cool enough, but the Gerstenlager trailer is where the magic really happens. All three Camelot Cruisers feature similar floorplans, but with different colors, and each is designed to haul something different. The very first Camelot Cruiser has a basement under the living space that served as a kennel for the aforementioned Saint Bernards. The second Camelot Cruiser features a basement that houses a boat, and the final model’s basement houses two matching snowmobiles. Reportedly, one of them could also haul horses, but it’s not said which Camelot Cruiser had that feature.
If you want to check out more of the first two Camelot Cruisers, Richard Rawlings of Gas Monkey Garage found them for sale at Auto Parts City, a vehicle recycler here in Illinois. He paid $30,000 for the pair, then later put the first one up for sale.
Amazingly, all three Camelot Cruisers have survived to the modern day intact, and they remain pretty much as they were produced in the 1970s. That makes them a wonderful window into what Edler thought the pinnacle of RV luxury was like back in the 1970s. The third Camelot Cruiser, a 1974, has shown up for sale a number of times. A private owner intended to modernize this Camelot Cruiser but sold it instead.
It also showed up at Worldwide Auctioneers. And now it’s for sale again at Bring a Trailer.
This one appears to have the most pictures taken of it, and it’s a ride just to flip through them. Open the door, climb up the stairs, and the first thing you’ll see is the “Royal Observatory Lounge.” All three Camelot Cruisers have this, and you get to sit in a U-shaped dinette with yellow tufted upholstery.
This front area overlooks the open road, the cab of the semi, and the campground that you’re staying at. And yes, there is an intercom system connecting the passengers in the trailer to the driver in the cab!
Moving back, the next area is the “Gourmet Galley,” which is a fully-featured kitchen with tile and oak cabinets. It has a dual-basin ceramic sink, stove, and refrigerator. But more than that, the Camelot Cruisers came stocked with gold-plated tools, pots, pans, utensils, and dishes.
The Worldwide Auctioneers listing notes that at one point, Edler apparently said “I can’t imagine something worse than selling a $150,000 RV to someone and having their first night be ruined because they don’t have a can opener.” The listing goes on to say that a Camelot Cruiser came with four porterhouse steaks for the first night on the road.
Handling bathroom duties is the “King’s and Queen’s Privy,” which features two ebony china sinks, gold faucets, luxury tile, a full-size shower with a velvet curtain, and a toilet.
And when it’s time to go to sleep, you get to lay down in a double bed with a fur headboard and faux masonry wall.
It’s clear that despite this rig’s long 55-foot length, it wasn’t really meant for a bunch of people. Instead, it’s for a few people to travel in as much wood-paneled, thick carpeted luxury as they could handle.
I’m still not done with the camper’s features yet, either. When you’re relaxing, you can kick back in the “The Great Hall” housed in the rear of the RVs. This is just a sitting room featuring more wood paneling, two seats, a coffee table, and a side cabinet.
Looking at the specs in the brochure, Edler really meant for these to be self-sufficient. Camelot Cruisers had a generator, a 300-gallon stainless steel water tank, a 300-gallon wastewater tank, a forced-air furnace, and air-conditioning. And when you weren’t using the generator, power was fed from three house batteries.
The tractor up front of this Camelot Cruiser is a 1974 Ford C-750. This is powered by a 391 FT big block V8, driving the rear wheels through an Allison AT 540 automatic, and the whole rig is said to have just 32,000 miles on it. Horsepower ratings aren’t stated, but the seller says that it’ll top out at 75 mph and cruise at 65 mph. That big block is also a thirsty unit, as the seller states that it gets just 5 mpg. At least it drinks from two 75-gallon fuel tanks, so you can get some decent distance between fuel stops. The cab of the semi also features a bed, so your driver has a place to sleep, too.
If you’re wondering, this whole beast weighs in at 44,000 pounds and has air brakes. Even with an RV registration, residents of some states will need to have a CDL or a license of the proper weight class to drive a rig like this.
As I said before, each Camelot Cruiser was built to haul specific things in their basements. This one houses two 1970s Poloron snowmobiles painted to match the finish of the RV. The basement cargo compartment is rather sizable and runs much of the length of the trailer.
While Bring a Trailer doesn’t say, the previous Worldwide Auctioneers listing states that this RV is very original inside and out. It certainly looks the part, as there are places where the paint is peeling, revealing rust.
Some commenters on the listing talk about renovating the thing, but I’d leave it as the time capsule that it is. Ok, maybe I’d repower the Ford with a Navistar T444E/7.3-liter Power Stroke. These RVs cost the equivalent of $958,297 back in 1974, but today it’s bidding at $70,000 with six days to go on Bring a Trailer. The Camelot Cruiser is another RV that I’d love to know more about. Edler appeared to have advertised them, but why did just three of them get made? If you know anything more about these, email me at mercedes@theautopian.com.
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Take a long look at any of them.
Then you’ll know why they only built three of them.
I can’t be the only one thinking this needs a 16v71.
Can’t believe those drop ceiling panels haven’t… dropped
Absolutely do NOT renovate this glorious masterpiece. It’s the perfect time capsule. Those commenters can greige up a new Winnebago or whatever instead.
I think I’d want a deep clean of all that period-correct carpeting, though…just in case.
Never heard of Poloron Snowmobiles. Weird looking things were only produced for a few years.
There really must be a lot of joy and feeling of fulfillment, for people who drag that much shit around. Has towing capacity somehow something to do with penis measurement? (My guess) I’ve never really understood that?
But I’m from another continent, so that’s maybe it?
I do understand the Colin Chapman Lotus idea, from the other end of the scale though.
Awesome!!! Howl’s Moving castle?
For a repower, I’d go stronger than a T444. A DT466 in a 300hp – 1300 lb/ft tune would get you decent performance and around 10 mpg.
I spent some time in an F1000 dump truck with a 534 V8 and it was a total dog. All of those huge gasoline truck motors were dogs.
I initially thought this was a time warp horse trailer.
Externally it doesn’t seem much different, take a look at some fancy semi horse trailers and even though it’s not one this looks almost like a refit of one in the style of a ’70’s “finished” basement.
An interesting thing, but……nope.
I grew up in the 70s and for awhile when my parents were starting a business we lived in a mobile home. Not a new or good one. This rv looks like they attached that mobile home to a tractor and decorated it with every faux finish they had. Flimsy paneling, fake stone, fake wood, gold plated chrome etc. Also why design 3 and no place to haul a small car?
Having lived through the 70s I have to say that the banquet is not merely yellow, but “Harvest Gold.” Often referred to as that, much the same as the green at the time was “Avacado.” I know these things via osmosis from Mom’s kitchen remodel of the period.
I like that the “Observation Lounge” is just another widened truck cab, at least on the blue one.
This is about 1000% cooler than that shitty GMC Motorhome that was “updated”.
This thing is so cool. Maybe it’s a California thing but I always thought you couldn’t have passengers in a trailer? That would make this far less appealing and practical.
https://blog.campingworld.com/rv-basics/what-states-can-you-ride-in-a-travel-trailer-or-fifth-wheel/
“even if you can, you shouldn’t” is the common sense rule.
That’s like pure 70’s essence. Really should be diluted and not used full strength like that. It’s even got a drop ceiling with crappy fluorescent lights like your parents basement.
Perhaps one of our illustrious designers could give us a modern take on these. Maybe using a new Chevy LCF to pull it around??
https://www.gmfleet.com/trucks/chevrolet-low-cab-forward-trucks
Makes me want to build my camper hauler even faster! I got a huge 1984 American LaFrance Centurion firetruck that I’m slapping on a bus chassis with a ramp bed to haul my car and trailer to shows. Will be nearly 40 ft long when complete with full living quarters!
When you get far enough along to start taking pictures, please share them!
Sitting in this RV for five minutes will lead to 6 inches of collar growth.
If you lie down on the floor of this RV, an alarm goes off, screaming “What are you doing on your back? Oh! You should be dancing, yeah!”
If you pass this RV in a truck full of new carpet, the carpet fibers will grow three inches.
If you start to feel sick to your stomach upon entering this RV, do not worry. It is not uncommon upon entry to puke out a gold medallion that will lay softly on your recently emerged tufts of chest hair.
This RV can only be purchased with an age-appropriate 17% interest rate.
Now you’ve got me thinking of the movie “Jeckyll and Hyde, Together Again”.
“a full-size shower with a velvet curtain”
The bathroom also appears to have the same shag carpet as everywhere else. We might be seeing an intact example of the kind of setup that created black mold. If it’s not rotted to hell underneath it’s because no one ever used it. I do construction and this seems like the kind of place that looks ok but once you get into it you need a respirator. I’d also be wary of the one that carried dogs and horses around. Animal waste can be extremely corrosive.
Carpeted bathrooms went through a moment in the 1970s and 80s, they shouldn’t have, but they did. I’ve been house shopping lately and have come across a few time capsule ones where the original owners just moved out, having not done anything to the place since the day they moved in. I don’t know who came up with the idea to put carpet in those places, or why so many other people agreed that it was a good idea, but it’s a part of our history that really needs to be expunged from the record
When we bought our house almost 20 years ago the first thing I started to do was to remove the carpet that was installed in the bedrooms on the second floor. The second thing I did was to buy some window AC units (1940s house, no central) so I could not die from heat stroke while trying to kill myself from the stench of said carpets. I can still almost smell that stench.
If I’m going to take that many years off of my life like I’m sure that it did I’d rather have it be from drugs and alcohol having a great time.
I just pulled the carpet out of my upstairs bathroom this month.
NGL, we have carpeted bathrooms. They’re comfy. Of course, I was born in 1958, so it may just be in my genes. Living near the Mojave, mold isn’t that much of an issue here.
I remember seeing the blue one for sale before Richard Rawlings got ahold of it. These are insanely cool, if not especially practical. I can’t help but want one anyways.
The concept is great but the styling is hideous. I was born in 76 and had to experience paneling and shag once. I’ll pass on reliving it all over again. I can still smell my Great Aunt’s stale smoke-filled house that looked similar.
Ah yes, the kind of house where, once a picture goes up on the wall, it has to stay there for the next 50 years and never be moved, otherwise everyone will see the color contrast between the different levels of nicotine staining on the paint
Also born in 76, can confirm Great Aunts (in general) smell poorly.
On another note, this reminds me of childhood road trips in our 1977 Rally Master motor home. Not quite as opulent but definitely 70s AF with the shag carpet and the wood paneling/gold color scheme.
When I lived in Southern California 15-odd years ago, I looked at converted buses as a housing option and have loved them ever since. While I would love a converted mid-century tour bus, I certainly wouldn’t kick a Camelot Cruiser off my RV pad.
Of course, the thing to do would be to verify if the horse-carrying one exists, and then figure out how many Smart cars it could hold!
I’m going to call you Mr. Catnip from now on.
It’s an amazing time capsule, but I’ve already lived through the 70s, thank you very much.
Same. I was a kid then but i still got long term PTSD from all the browns and greens!
Now ,what is it, Forty years later?And i’m just starting to like brown as a color again.
I want. My wife said no. I told her I’d use this to get a new wife. She almost died from the laughing fit.
What a glorious 70’s rig. Drop ceilings and wood paneling?! I do want a home breakfast nook that looks exactly like the observation lounge.