Vintage motorhomes don’t need much to be extremely cool. Does it run, stop, and sleep two or more people? If so, it’s slick. Bonus points if it’s tuned up a little, and extra bonus points if it packs a supercharged V8 like this 1966 Dodge Travco named Ceecil.
Ceecil (two Es, as per the license plate) is named after Cecil the sea serpent—a cartoon creature from the ’60s that nobody at The Drive had heard of. But once you see him, and the RV … yeah, there’s some resemblance.
It belongs to Dan and Sherry Hansen out of Colorado, who essentially rebuilt the 27-foot Class A from the ground up. It certainly didn’t come from the factory way back when with a 6.0-liter LS, an Edelbrock E-Force 2300 blower, and six-piston Wilwood brakes up front. Measured at the crank, it makes 770 hp, and Dan tells me it’s been verified at roughly 550 hp to the wheels. All that output travels through a GM 4L85E automatic to a Dana 60 rear axle. Those are the kind of heavy-duty parts you need when you’re modifying a house on wheels to go fast.
You’ll be glad to know they didn’t leave the suspension alone, as the Rancho RS9000 shocks even have adjustable damping. Huh! Sure, it’s top-heavy, but it has fresh steering gear to make sure everything’s as tight as can be. There are also new leaf springs front and back, with extras on the rear so there’s no squat. The Air Lift Loadlifter 5000 bags help with that too.
The interior is designed to be Art Deco—with the exception of the Holley 3.5-inch screen that reads all the important engine data. That’s important, y’know. There’s extensive upholstery work done to match the Sea-Foam Green exterior, plus some hand-drawn pinstriping that pulls it together. Just look at that ’66 Dish-Master sink.
Your average gearhead might not care as much about this part but when you build something to live in for weeks or months at a time, you want it to be nice. That’s why the Hansens put in a Furrion three-burner gas range, a Norcold N4104 fridge that keeps cold even when it’s not plugged in, and a 15,000-BTU Dometic Penguin II AC-slash-heat-exchanger. And this thing can park anywhere and be comfortable thanks to solar power or a Cummins Onan 5500 generator.
It’ll sleep six people and the Hansens have taken it on four round trips from Colorado to Key West in the past three years. Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that makes this RV what they call a “snowbird.” Whether you refer to it that way or by its proper name, you better believe it’s a blast to drive. It cruises at 80 miles per hour and can “pass traffic at will,” according to Dan, who also says it averages between 8 and 10 miles per gallon. That’s about the same as a diesel pickup pulling a heavy fifth-wheel trailer, so not bad considering the huge power it makes.
Don’t be surprised if you see me in something like this when I grow up. I’m all about a comfy cruiser, and when you can load up the kids for a cross-country haul, it’s even better. Maybe it’s time to take full advantage of this whole work-from-home situation.
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