It’s been a good while since we’ve looked at a truly baffling vehicle for sale just to bask in its glory. Almost entirely by accident I’ve come across a beautiful monstrosity of two unlikely vehicles merged into one. This 1995 Toyota Previa V8 RV thing is equal parts dumb, amazing and the best thing I’ve seen for sale all week.
One of the magical things about the Gambler 500 is what kind of oddball vehicles that you’ll see there. Spend enough time at one and you’ll probably see a weirdo in a dress riding a scooter, a buggy that can barely call itself a Miata, or a transit bus with a hot tub racing down a dirt road. You’ll also see all kinds of vehicles riding on some other vehicles’ frames. That’s what you’re looking at with this beautiful work of art on Facebook.
The seller of this creation starts the story by telling buyers that this van was once a desirable supercharged Toyota Previa. Before the van tried to cross a foot of water it housed a Toyota 2TZ-FZE supercharged four in the middle. These vans are adored by JDM enthusiasts for their futuristic space egg looks, interior layout and if you can find one, manual transmission and all-wheel drive. They’ve also become cheap enough to become quirky off-road rigs for people participating in Gambler 500 rallies.
It’s unclear where this van met its end, but when it did, the seller apparently wasn’t ready to let this van die just yet. As luck would have it, a 32-foot RV showed up for sale and as anyone would the seller saw the two vehicles combined into one. The RV lost its body and the Previa lost its drivetrain. Then, both were combined into one.
This Previa is even weirder than when it left the factory. It now rides on the RV’s backbone, which is a little hilarious because that frame was made for much heavier work than carrying around a minivan body.
The seller rightfully points out that any poor soul riding atop the 16-leaf spring-supported rear axle is bound to meet the headliner more than once.
And I’d be willing to bet that it wouldn’t take much of a bump to launch them up there, either.
The highlight of the show is exposed up front, and it’s a Ford 460 cubic-inch (7.5-liter) big block V8.
As Motor Trend notes, these engines have powered motorhomes and other vehicles from 1968 through 1997. Since the exact year of the RV is not noted it’s hard to say what kind of power that this thing is making. However, these engines were known to make 206 to 245 horsepower depending on the year and up to 410 lb-ft of torque.
That blows the 158 HP and 201 lb-ft of the Previa’s old engine out of the water, but that power has to go through a three-speed auto before getting to the rear wheels.
The most amazing part to me is that the heat still works, as do “some” lights. So if you’re crazy enough to take this on a road trip you could. Or, as the Gambler 500 decal the back suggests, take it into a mud pit somewhere for hours of fun.
If for whatever reason you like what you see here it can be yours for $3,000. I hope that you don’t live in a homeowner association…
(Due to timing constraints Dopest Cars will return with a double-dose next week!)
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
