Overland In Classic Style With This ’42 Chevy Army Camper

There’s any number of vehicles that could serve as a good basis for a camper. But few carry the kind of classic style as this vintage Chevy.

It’s a 1942 Chevrolet G-7117 personnel carrier – similar to the Power Wagons that Dodge built for the US Army during WWII. But this one’s been converted into a camper with a wooden sleeping compartment and onboard kitchenette.

As you can see, the camper box is rather ornate, and given its solid oak construction, we don’t doubt that it’s rather heavy. Fortunately the Chevy has the muscle to pull it over whatever terrain your adventure might hold, thanks to a 5.7-liter V8, four-speed manual transmission, two-speed transfer gearcase, four-wheel drive, and dual rear wheels. It even has a jack, shovel, and pick-axe secured to the side, dual air horns on the roof, and a winch mounted to the front bumper.

General Motors built some 168,000 of these G506-series half-ton trucks for the Army between 1940 and 1945, many of which ended up in the Soviet Union. They were originally fitted with 3.9-liter straight sixes, so we gather that this one was engine-swapped for the small-block V8 somewhere along the way. Which can’t be a bad thing, considering that the original six produced just 83 horsepower (62 kW) and 184 lb-ft (249 Nm) of torque, and the eight likely packs more of a punch.

Intrigued? This vintage camper is slated to cross the auction block, with no reserve, at Mecum’s forthcoming sale in Las Vegas in mid-November. And it could be just the ticket for your next big adventure.