1953 Plymouth Camper Hiding in a Junkyard for Decades Is a Unique Homemade Contraption

And I'm not talking about show cars or one-off Ferraris. Nope, I'm talking about commercial conversions made by coachbuilding companies like Superior Coach, Armbruster Stageway, and Barnette & Co. Yup, things like ambulances, hearses, and airport shuttles. I'm that weirdo who likes funeral cars and 23-foot-long limos with seven doors like this early 1960s Pontiac Catalina shuttle.

But what I also like about that era is that camping enthusiasts were willing to turn just about any kind of vehicle into a motorhome. Some were as small as the Volkswagen Beetle, which morphed into the Super Bugger thanks to a conversion kit.

But some went as far as to build their own campers around production cars. You've probably seen quite a few pickup truck conversions floating around on eBay, but have you ever seen a 1953 Plymouth with living quarters behind the front seats? I sure haven't until YouTube's "Nobody's Show" found this rusty contraption in a junkyard.

A homemade project, this somewhat tiny motorhome is based on a Plymouth Cranbrook. If you're not familiar with the nameplate, it's a full-size that debuted in 1951 as a replacement for the Special Deluxe. But the Cranbrook remained in dealerships for only three years, being replaced by the Savoy after the 1953 model year. It was also the first Plymouth to use the "Belvedere" badge as a trim level. The latter became a stand-alone model in 1954.

This unique camper looks a lot like a 1960s truck conversion. Whoever build it simply cut off the bodywork behind the B-pillars and welded a boxy metal shell in place. The latter extends atop the cabin, a common solution to gain extra storage room in small campers. There's also a big hole cut into the right-side front fender, but whatever was stored in there is long gone.

Likely sourced from an old school bus, the rear shell includes two small benches and wooded cupboards on each side, as well as what appear to be the remains of a stove. But there's no bed in there, which isn't surprising given the size of this thing. The area above the cabin might have been used as a "bedroom," but I doubt it had enough room for two adults. But even so, it's an interesting project that must have made the original owner a happy camper.

Unfortunately, this contraption was abandoned many decades ago and it's in really rough shape. It still has an engine, but it's simply too rusty to save. And a restoration doesn't make much sense when it comes to homemade vehicles like these. But it's definitely one of the most exotic junkyard finds I've seen in a very long time. Check it out in the video below.