New RV owner. Managed to get this beauty from an older man just retiring at 80. My husband and I are 32, so we are looking to fill it with more years of memories. Just had our first short trip, and had a total blast, while learning a lot about what to do better next time.I did want to know, is this considered a B-class or A-class?I ask because it has 2 beds, the primary one lowers from the ceiling above the driver/passenger seat, and needs no assembly, which seems to deviate from most online descriptions of what constitutes a B-class Camper.Here is where we parked. Hvalfjörður, Iceland, near the tallest waterfall on the island, Glymur, nearly 200meters tall.

looks like a real cool rv to me, I think it doesn,t matter have fun.

Welcome to the forum. That is a neat little rig.In my opinion, it's a Class A. But, there are different opinions on Class A or Class B.Please, tell us more about your RV. Chassis, engine, tire size, interior, etc..

That's just flat cute.... Looks like an A to me. Even if it's on a van chassis (and it may not be) , that's clearly not a van shell around it. The new ones however appear to be a Class B/CHYMER RV

Sure. It's a 1979 Hymer Mobil. From what I can tell it is a 521 B, and the body is Vauxhall. The engine is by Bedford, 2.3L regular gas. It's a 4 gear plus Reverse manual, with non-power stearing. I normally drive a VW Polo (think tiny bit larger than a Golf) so this is a huge change, but my husband doesn't like driving anything large (or strange, so I drove in Tasmania when the steering wheel side was switched in our rental). It won't go much above 80 kmh (around 50 mph) but the upper speed limit is 90 kmh here and once out of Reykjavik the traffic is normally pretty light so I give people the signal to pass whenever it's safe.It had around 300,000 KM on it (around 190,000 Miles) but the engine was overhauled about 60,000 km ago. Starts up first thing and drives nicely.I love the wrap around windows.Back booth (with two seatbelts) and kitchen all closed up.Fridge and stove opened up (though I need to get some kind of insulation below the stove, it kills the fridge temp when on, and from the fridge's manual, this was not supposed to be installed like this, the old owner drilled the holes for the gas knobs, so this is not factory) Back bed folded down (could easily sleep 3) closet opened, and that's a propane heater below with two fan settings, one adjustable, and the other a very quiet night setting. Bathroom. Shower has cold water only, drain is in the floor. He took out the hot water heater cause it would use an entire tank for a 20 minute shower, and pools are so frequent in Iceland one can nearly always have a real bath. Plenty of room for our puppy too, though a full sized cage made it nearly impossible to move down the center aisle at night to use the toilet or our friend to leave for a smoke, so I'm thinking of rigging up a wire wall to confine him to the front wheel wells below the bed.Camper has 4 corner jacks for stabilizing which is super nice in the heavy Icelandic wind. Sleeping would have been much less comfortable without them.

Is my antique RV a B class or A class? | Good Sam Community

41 Replies

mpierce
Explorer
Jun 02, 2014
Nice! A, if it matters.
videogamemaker
Explorer
Jun 01, 2014
Thanks for all the help everyone. Here is one more from this weekend at Þingvellir national park.

Ok, a second one. :-)
mena661
Explorer
May 28, 2014
Some old RVs only had one battery so that one might just be the only one. And VERY nice rig. Cool stuff!
videogamemaker
Explorer
May 26, 2014
jhilley wrote:
Very nice and definitely an "A" motor home. What is the length. That is a lot of km to put on in Iceland.

The previous owner imported it in 2000 from the UK, and that is when he rebuilt the motor, so only about 60,000 KM is from here in Iceland.

The length is nearly exactly 5 meters (just a hair under).

Also, is it possible that I have only one batter? I see a nice 12v deep cycle 115Ah marine battery in the middle back on one side in a compartment, but cannot find anything else, not under the hood or inside the cabin. Does this mean my interior lights, the pump, or the radio could drain my battery to the point of not starting 2-3 days later? Is it common for RVs to have only one? or are most having one for engine and another one (or bank of multiple) for the "stuff".
RobertRyan
Explorer
May 26, 2014
Francesca Knowles wrote:
rvten wrote:
A

x2...

But do they even use such designations in Europe?

Yes they do. Class A is used here as well.Another terms they use in Europe is a integrated Liner, Liner

Then again Hymer inspired another US Class A
dougrainer
Nomad
May 26, 2014
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
We have a motto down here

If you tie someone down, and squirt enough mineral water laced heavily with chili, up their nose, in a matter of minutes you will have them yelling...

"I'm An Elephant! I'm An Elephant!"

Anyone who perverts the concept of what makes an A, or a B or a C, is uh, let's be polite........stupid.

The RVIA is about an inept an organization as any (choose one) Federal Agency)

Well lets see, I have been in the RV business for almost 43 years. NOT AN OWNER of an RV, but in the manufacture and service. You may not like the RVIA, but THEY are the final arbiter of what designations are, not some RV'er in Mexico. I WORKED on National Dolphins 30 years ago and we called(National also) them Micro mini Class C's. Doug
Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
May 26, 2014
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

Anyone who perverts the concept of what makes an A, or a B or a C, is uh, let's be polite........stupid.

)

Nobody called you stupid, Mex- ya can't be right all the time! :)

"C" is really the only one of those letters that started out making any kind of sense at all, since the C actually stands for something (Chassis Cab/Mount Camper). And the original mass-produced ones were on pickup chassis...the big innovation was getting rid of the truck bed so as to mount a bigger "camper" permanently on it.

Here's some history
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
May 26, 2014
We have a motto down here

If you tie someone down, and squirt enough mineral water laced heavily with chili, up their nose, in a matter of minutes you will have them yelling...

"I'm An Elephant! I'm An Elephant!"

Anyone who perverts the concept of what makes an A, or a B or a C, is uh, let's be polite........stupid.

The RVIA is about an inept an organization as any (choose one) Federal Agency)
Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
May 26, 2014
jhilley wrote:
I agree, the Dolphin is a Class C as is the Winnebago Micro Warrior

Winnebago Warrior

No kidding- in fact the VERY FIRST mass-produced "class C"s were built on pickup chassis, not those of vans.
jhilley
Explorer
May 26, 2014
I agree, the Dolphin is a Class C as is the Winnebago Micro Warrior

Winnebago Warrior