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Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:35 am

can any one give me any info on the sportsmobile conversion, pics, specs any info brochour scans etc many thanks :)

Sat Oct 28, 2006 9:11 am

I have a 67 sportsmobile camper and have had a tough time finding info. This site has given me most of the info that I used to identify my camper as a sportsmobile. I do not have any pics posted as of yet or any brochures, literature, etc..

I have the original interior and the og tent with frame. I will post pics eventually.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 9:49 am

Look in my gallery. I have some pics of a friends that seems to be a Sportsmobile.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 11:07 am

here are some threads you might want to check out:
camper interior
Campmobile Kit Trivia
Sportsmobile Campers

i have some pictures in the gallery. if you need anything more specific, i may have more detailed pics i can send you.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 11:16 am

They`re still in business here in Fresno by the way.

Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:43 pm

Don't they make 4 wheel drive Chevy van camper conversion now?

Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:52 pm

PM or email Mango Juice, he reported a while back that he has a Sportmobile brochure in the following thread. That should clear things up hopefully. See: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=169324&highlight=brochure

For pictures of the original poster’s interior, see:
http://www.chocksaway.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=24623

For pictures of another camper of the same style, see:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_author=ron+hilbert

I don’t believe the bus referred to by Bryan67 is a Sportmobile, we discussed it in the thread referenced above. I have several reasons.
- It appears far too modern for a bullet bus kit. The only other folks doing conversions back then in the U.S. was E-Z camper, and their stuff was pretty primitive looking in comparison. And their stuff SOLD, quite well obviously, as many examples of it survive, but evidently no one has seen his friend’s style of camper before. It could have been produced later of course, but if it was (and I believe it probably was), I think it was in the late 70’s or 80’s based on the wood, layout, and condition. It could have also been a really nice homegrown kit, there are plenty of buses sporting home-made kits of similar high quality.
- All of the campers produced in California in the early to mid 60’s had those green tags on them, this one doesn’t appear to or it would have been mentioned I’m guessing, so I don’t think it was produced in Fresno, at least in the 1960’s. The bus is in too nice of condition to not expect this tag to still be present as well.

There is some disagreement on whether these campers originated in Indiana or California, I have believed the former for a long time, but not everyone agrees. But if they originated in CA, where is the green tag(s) alluded to above? See these threads for discussion on this: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=64746&highlight=sportmobile
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=132214&highlight=ebay

I haven’t seen this thread before, http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=84577&highlight=
it would be cool if the campers w/ these kits turn out to be the infamous Campmobile campers referred to in VW literature in both ’62 and ’63, but they look nothing like the kit in the ’62 sales literature so this is highly unlikely. See ’62 sales lit: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/62camperkit.php The layout featured in the ’63 literature if more like it, but there are numerous differences and only vague similarities, and nothing that specifically matches (outside of perhaps the windows). See ’63 sales lit: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/63campmobile.php For example, while they both have clamshell lights, they are different shapes. Same deal w/ the portapottys and iceboxes. The sportmobile doesn’t appear to have an spice rack, and of course, the wall covering is of a drastically different material, the dining tables are shaped differently, etc. Additional evidence to consider, the “Canadiana” is featured in the ’63 brochure, and one of those survived and looks like the pictures in the sale literature, which makes it seem unlikely the U.S. version would have been change drastically enough to look like the camper being discussed in this thread. (I suppose it is possible, although I believe unlikely, that the '65 and later "sportmobile" campers were descendents of the '62/'63 campmobiles....?!?!?)

Another consideration, there are a LOT of similarities to the so-42 westy kit in these Sportmobiles, making it seem more likely they occurred *after* the ’65 introduction from Westfalia of the so-42 instead of *prior*. (Similarities such as general layout, yellow naugahyde, the poptop size and shape, the rear corner cabinet, clamshells, etc.)

I don’t know if the Sportmobile conversion is covered in Eccles book, anyone? If it is, he should have the definitive answer on place of origin. I looked through the book in a bookstore but didn’t buy it due to the small pictures and the fact that splits/bays/t25’s etc. were all lumped together.

Here is a possible picture of a sportmobile, or a campmobile, from “Hot Rod’ Magazine’s 1963 book called “Volkswagen Handbook” I’m sure it’s discussed in the text, anyone have access to this?

I look forward to the pictures or scans from Mango Juice which should clear quite a bit of this up, it will be nice to put these arguments to rest.

Sorry about the long post, thanks for reading if you got this far...

Sun Oct 29, 2006 4:39 am

many thanks to you all. dieselnut many thanks for the info too, i originally put the post up on the ssvc forum and you replied saying that it was a sportmobile, many thanks for that. i must say it does look very much like this.

weve just bought this bus from california.

Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:19 am

that is the stuff in my 65 walkthru'

Tue Oct 31, 2006 8:56 pm

http://www.sportsmobile.com/

Check out the early bus on their webpage.

Tue Oct 31, 2006 9:39 pm

dieselnut wrote:

I don’t know if the Sportmobile conversion is covered in Eccles book, anyone? If it is, he should have the definitive answer on place of origin. I looked through the book in a bookstore but didn’t buy it due to the small pictures and the fact that splits/bays/t25’s etc. were all lumped together.
...

Yep, pages 112-113.

First para. mentions company based in Andrews, IN with a west coast branch situated in Gardena, CA. "Like many other US outfits, they began developing a VW Camper conversion around 1965/66. The conversion was designed to be fully removable in just a few minutes, in order to exploit the multipurpose nature of the Transporter."

Midway through an adapter kit is mentioned to fit a DIY Sportsmobile kit to pre-1964 models.

Toward the end he mentions, "... the Sportsmobile penthouse roof was bought and fitted both by private individuals and other companies. Even VWoA offered it as an option on their own Westfalia style Camper of the early 1970s."

You should def. get this book dieselnut.

Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:55 am

I just found this old post about Sportsmobile and had to chime in somewhere! I just MET one of the founders of Sportsmobile. Charles Vorskey is well into his 80's. Started the company with a partner in Indiana and has moved back here to Austin. REAL thrill to talk about the old days and VW. Drop by the Austin Sportsmobile location and chat with the dude.

Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:32 pm

That is thrilling! I bet he has a lot of pictures and things.

Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:12 am

He actually had no clue what kinda cool stuff he made! All he had was a photo from a customer with a Bay that wanted a new tent! I suggested that he make a Sprinter "classic" version and they laughed at me :-)

Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:06 am

I just discovered a Yahoo! Group for VW Sportsmobile that you might be interested in joining. Go to: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/vw_sportsmobile/ :D

Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:29 pm

I recently picked up a Sportsmobile interior mostly complete including the cute potty under the jumpseat. I joined the yahoo mailing list as well, said hello and gave a brief intro but never heard a peep. Found some cool picks of them tho here on Samba, Once I start getting mine back installed I will post some picks. Here is some of it. Fridge of course is from a late model but I can convert to icebox to make it work.

Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:41 pm

vwguy1975 wrote: many thanks to you all. dieselnut many thanks for the info too, i originally put the post up on the ssvc forum and you replied saying that it was a sportmobile, many thanks for that. i must say it does look very much like this.

weve just bought this bus from california.

Does anyone have any idea on how this main dining table mounts to the wall in a sportsmobile? I have the table but it is too long to "hinge out" like a westy. It has a U channel on the wall side like it rests in a L channel but not sure. I am getting ready to put this in my 65 and need some HHHEEELLLPPP!!!

Fri Jun 13, 2014 6:53 pm

Any pictures of what you have on your table and what you have on your wall? In that picture it looks to be hinged onto that board just like an SO-42. How long is your table in relation to the top sill of the side wall transition?

Fri Jun 13, 2014 8:05 pm

the U channel that looks like it attaches to the wall to hang.

table is 33 inches tall a westy is 29 inches. Pic inside of bus just barely clears window. (original panel bus so window is a long but not wide. Bottom edge well above beltline.

if you removed the U channel and put on a piano hinge the table would be too high at the wall as the leg folds out to about 29 inches like westy height so table would be seriously slanted. Note weird round pieces on either side of fold out leg. WTF?

Sat Jun 14, 2014 8:06 am

If you put out the folded leg and hold it to the wall is it proportional to the seating arrangement? Is there a place to store it when not installed?

It's the same arrangement that a Santa Fe trailer my parents had. It does in fact attach to the wall by being placed tilted up then lowered onto a special channel that mates into the table's channel. You should still be able to find that at an RV supply website. On the trailer there was a matching channel outside above the wheel well that you could do outdoor eating.

Your table, I believe, has those two additional tubes as a place to insert a leg assembly for free-floating eating arrangements outdoors. Or...those tubes may attach to a missing wall swivel that put it at 29" when against the wall and up and away when not using it. It would still hook outside with the channel, I'm betting.