Top 10 ways to motor your home
The sweltering heat of summer has descended and in some parts of the country it's knocking out power grids left and right. Before the lights go out in your house, perhaps you should prepare a Plan B that involves taking the homestead on the road. To that end we've assembled a list of our Top 10 ways to motor your home comprised of motorhomes, vans, trailers and even a $4.5 million tour bus from 1940. Enjoy...
2006 Featherlite Luxury Coaches Vantare Platinum Plus



Billed as the most expensive luxury coach ever built, the Vantare boasts a price tag of $2.5 million. Marble floors, Italian leather trim, Swarovski crystal lighting, onyx shower walls... the Vantare's emissions are comprised of pure opulence in a gaseous state.
(Follow the jump to see what else made the list and suggest your own candidates in the comments)
2006 Terra Wind



Come hell or high water, the Terra Wind will get you there. No seriously, the Terra Wind is the world's first fully amphibious luxury motorhome. And the only indication it loves the water are tailpipe extensions for the generator and engine. Beachgoers will stare slackjawed as you ram the shoreline in the Terra Wind.
Airstream Basecamp


The first of two trailers on the list, as well as the first of two Airstream models, the Airstream Basecamp was designed by car guys at Nissan Design America. Airstream's trademark aluminum skin looks cool in a retro-futurism kind of way, and a tent that folds out the back significantly increases liveable space. Plus, it can be pulled by a 350Z!
1940 General Motors Futurliner



The 1940 General Motors Futurliner is technically not a motorhome, nor does it contain a living space per se. However, we would sacrifice the creature comforts to experience the sense of power one feels while piloting this ginormous $4.32 million dollar piece of automotive history.
Volkswagen Westfalia Camper



The Westfalia Camper from Volkswagen allowed four people to eat, sleep and travel in comfort. It is a simple yet effective design that is best known by its trademark roof tilt created from the famous pop top. How many college professors did you know back in the day who called a Westfalia home?
Rob Gray's Wothahellizat



Though having already recently appeared on Autoblog, the Wothahellizat returns for its ability to sustain a pair of occupants for months on end in the wild, its sheer Geo Metro-mashing size, and the fact that Australian photographer Robert Gray built it by hand.
2006 Knaus C-Liner



Think of the German-made Knaus C-Liner as the coupe of motorhomes. It only seats two, but contains a full kitchen, bathroom and double bed beneath that sexy motorhome skin. The design is decidedly sportier than we're used to, and Knaus reportedly backs it up with what the June 2006 issue of Reisemobil calls "car handling properties". (via Winding Road)
2006 Airstream Skydeck



The 2006 Airstream Skydeck is similar to many other Class-A motorhomes on the market save for its defining feature: a roof-mounted "Skydeck" that's lined with benches and accessed from below via a wooden staircase.
2006 T@b


The T@b is a cute little trailer that incorporates the tallest interior height of a tear drop trailer sold in America at 5'9". Like the Airstream Basecamp, the T@b can be pulled by virtually any vehicle with a discernible tow rating. It even has grab handles on the exterior so that owners can unhitch and pull the trailer into place by hand.
1973 GMC Motorhome



The iconic American motorhome. The 1973 GMC Motorhome is what many of us picture when people talk about motorhomes. Its design was futuristic for the early '70s and, unlike many motorhomes today, featured front-wheel drive and an independent swing arm rear suspension.
2006 Featherlite Luxury Coaches Vantare Platinum Plus



Billed as the most expensive luxury coach ever built, the Vantare boasts a price tag of $2.5 million. Marble floors, Italian leather trim, Swarovski crystal lighting, onyx shower walls... the Vantare's emissions are comprised of pure opulence in a gaseous state.
(Follow the jump to see what else made the list and suggest your own candidates in the comments)
2006 Terra Wind



Come hell or high water, the Terra Wind will get you there. No seriously, the Terra Wind is the world's first fully amphibious luxury motorhome. And the only indication it loves the water are tailpipe extensions for the generator and engine. Beachgoers will stare slackjawed as you ram the shoreline in the Terra Wind.
Airstream Basecamp


The first of two trailers on the list, as well as the first of two Airstream models, the Airstream Basecamp was designed by car guys at Nissan Design America. Airstream's trademark aluminum skin looks cool in a retro-futurism kind of way, and a tent that folds out the back significantly increases liveable space. Plus, it can be pulled by a 350Z!
1940 General Motors Futurliner



The 1940 General Motors Futurliner is technically not a motorhome, nor does it contain a living space per se. However, we would sacrifice the creature comforts to experience the sense of power one feels while piloting this ginormous $4.32 million dollar piece of automotive history.
Volkswagen Westfalia Camper



The Westfalia Camper from Volkswagen allowed four people to eat, sleep and travel in comfort. It is a simple yet effective design that is best known by its trademark roof tilt created from the famous pop top. How many college professors did you know back in the day who called a Westfalia home?
Rob Gray's Wothahellizat



Though having already recently appeared on Autoblog, the Wothahellizat returns for its ability to sustain a pair of occupants for months on end in the wild, its sheer Geo Metro-mashing size, and the fact that Australian photographer Robert Gray built it by hand.
2006 Knaus C-Liner



Think of the German-made Knaus C-Liner as the coupe of motorhomes. It only seats two, but contains a full kitchen, bathroom and double bed beneath that sexy motorhome skin. The design is decidedly sportier than we're used to, and Knaus reportedly backs it up with what the June 2006 issue of Reisemobil calls "car handling properties". (via Winding Road)
2006 Airstream Skydeck



The 2006 Airstream Skydeck is similar to many other Class-A motorhomes on the market save for its defining feature: a roof-mounted "Skydeck" that's lined with benches and accessed from below via a wooden staircase.
2006 T@b


The T@b is a cute little trailer that incorporates the tallest interior height of a tear drop trailer sold in America at 5'9". Like the Airstream Basecamp, the T@b can be pulled by virtually any vehicle with a discernible tow rating. It even has grab handles on the exterior so that owners can unhitch and pull the trailer into place by hand.
1973 GMC Motorhome



The iconic American motorhome. The 1973 GMC Motorhome is what many of us picture when people talk about motorhomes. Its design was futuristic for the early '70s and, unlike many motorhomes today, featured front-wheel drive and an independent swing arm rear suspension.







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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kamil 12:33PM (7/25/2006)
Awesome blog entry! :)
Reply
Eric L. 12:45PM (7/25/2006)
Very cool. Please tell me this was in response to the hilarious "Top Gear goes caravaning" segment from last week's episode and not the earlier post on the Wothahellizat.
Reply
dilslips 12:51PM (7/25/2006)
Amazing..I love the airstream skydeck..but 300K??..
should think of it when I get rich:)
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Peter 1:01PM (7/25/2006)
I hope its namers had their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks when they named it the "Featherweight". Marble floors, leather trim, onyx shower walls; too bad lead's been outlawed for pipes. I wonder how may gallons per mile it gets?
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verdegrrl 1:03PM (7/25/2006)
You're missing the Vixen.
http://www.vixenrv.com/
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Josh 1:04PM (7/25/2006)
I wonder what gas mileage that marble monster gets
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John Neff 1:18PM (7/25/2006)
No, it was more an extension of the Wothellizat post, and my father and uncle own an RV rental business, too. I just spent some family time with them over the weekend and this post came to me. Oh, and also Winding Road's post on the Knaus C-Liner, which is the slickest looking RV I've ever seen.
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david 1:56PM (7/25/2006)
Hey hey, what about four wheel campers? I'm getting one for my Tacoma. Much like the motor/water home, this camper rocks for the trails less traveled.
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jeffinToronto 2:02PM (7/25/2006)
What, no Winnie? Give me $2.5M and I would come up with a better motorhome than that first one!
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Jon 2:24PM (7/25/2006)
Do they still show Top Gear in the states? You must be a U.K. reader?
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Tony 3:15PM (7/25/2006)
I would take the GMC PAD if it were available !
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John B 3:27PM (7/25/2006)
Regarding the Terra Wind amphibious motor home, here is a Top Gear episode where James, Richard and Jeremy each build an amphibious vehicle. Richard uses a VW camper.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAWu6uV9gSA&search=top%20gear%20amphibious
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tim-bit 3:39PM (7/25/2006)
Nice post... really neat.
@5: I actually saw two Vixen's on the road today, I had read a lot about them a few months ago after one burned in town. This was the first time I actually saw one live.
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Edsel 4:21PM (7/25/2006)
VW Vanagon reliability required the camper option. You never knew when or where the motor would expire.
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jeff 5:10PM (7/25/2006)
My favorite is the GMC with the "urban assault" trim package featured in Stripes with Bill Murray.
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Eric L. 5:44PM (7/25/2006)
#10: Try youtube - it almost always has the most recent episodes.
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JC 8:04PM (7/25/2006)
Haha. all the stuff in the featherlight would be bounced around and broken with my driving!
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GENE 10:07AM (7/26/2006)
It has been my dream to own a 1973
GMC motor home ever since they came out
after raising 8 children, I still don't have one
oh well!
Reply
GENE 10:12AM (7/26/2006)
I have always wished for a '70's
GMC motor home.
Reply
Boyd Mellor 5:09PM (8/29/2006)
Hate to tell you, the Terra Wind is not the first fully amphibious motorhome, FMC marketed one in the seventies. It was featured in Popular Mechanix or Popular Science, and it was produced, altough I don't know how successful it was.
Reply