Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/25/taking-a-bad-idea-to-its-illogical-conclusion-the-1974-pacomobile-camper.html
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It me! 
Oh, but the inside is kind of cute… Look at those tiles!
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She is a magnificent beast!
Only problem I have… how do I get someone to pay me to drive it around for a few months?
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Folks are installing Subaru boxers in Vanagons. Maybe an STi swap would make this thing go. Or electric. Then there is turning… and stopping.
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Back in the day, I knew folks who stole engines from Porsches to install in VeeDubs. Don’t try this now.
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Of course I get why, but this is like removing the soul.
If a person is concerned with things like merging speeds or blocking the slow lane up the mountain or getting stuck in the middle of the desert then this vehicle simply isn’t for them. Best to stick with the Allroad.
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AAAAnd it’s sold right away for 25 thousand dollars.
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a few positives: this vehicle is younger than I am and the air for cooling the engine is free
Also: gravity pulls even on that monstrosity, so it at least accelerates downhill. Hopefully towards a cliff…
I still remember the hellish ordeal of our family trying to haul the Volkswagen microbus up steep hills on vacation without the extra weight of a camper on top.
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When I was in high school one of my friends was huge into restoring VW Beetles. This was a slight problem since we lived in WV. 4 people packed in a Beetle meant it wasn’t able to make it up Sandstone mountain (on I64) without overheating. He always had to stop part way up to let it cool off.
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Yeah there is no way I would downgrade from a VW to a porsche.
Incidentally I see nothing wrong with this van. There were thousands of them circling through the European continent in the 70. Though our van was a Commer, and rich people had Bedfords.
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Kombi Safari, a brazilian version.
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On level ground (which is the default for large swaths of this country) an old air-cooled VW engine can do just fine. Look how that sculptor transported his concrete mammoths to the La Brea Tar Pits:
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I also think two causes: old engines that have to be rebuilt or replaced and anti-pollution laws. So maybe putting a newer engine on an older van could be an option, like on older Defenders where when the old engine fails, a more modern engine could be installed.
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Yeesh, and I think the War Box is underpowered.
Super cute on the inside though!!
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There was also a kit to bolt a complete Chevy Corvair powertrain (six-cylinder, air-cooled) into a Type 2. I learned to drive in one of those critters, and I always felt that the Microbus needed those two extra cylinders.
Driving it across Wyoming was… interesting.
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Then there is the Bugaroo…
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A shed with four wheels.
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It even has a roof rack to hold the chicken cages.
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the camper features a partially finished interior including a sink, a tiled backsplash, U-shaped seating with a center table, a Hisense refrigerator, a lavatory, a chandelier, and more.
Just one chandelier? Pass.
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