This Is the 1968 Kershaw Kruise-Aire, an RV and Mobile Office Like No Other

Royce Kershaw Sr. was the founder of the Royce Kershaw Company, which started out in 1924 with the construction and repairs of railroad tracks before expanding into building machines for track maintenance. The expansion was possible thanks to Kershaw's inventiveness and skill, which ensured enduring success. The Kershaw Company is still around today, by the way.

With success came money, as it usually does. Sometime in the '40s, Kershaw started taking his family out for extended summer vacations, which is also when he realized that a motorhome that would meet all his criteria didn't exist. So Kershaw did what any inventor and/or millionaire in his place would have done: he set out to build it himself.

This is how the Kruise-Aire came to be: Kershaw's idea of a perfect automobile for his family, one that provided plenty of comfort and all the features of a motorhome but was still very luxurious. The Kruise-Aire is not a motorhome, though. It's not a van or any other type of people mover, either. It's not a proper limo. In fact, it exists at the intersection of several automotive categories, so it's part limousine, part mobile office, and part RV.

The Kruise-Aire is widely considered a predecessor of today's luxury SUVs and CUVs in that it offered increased passenger capacity, plenty of interior space, and super fancy features but didn't skimp on performance. The Kruise-Aire would have probably just been that, had it made it to mass production as planned. But it never did, regardless of Kershaw's hard work.

The inspiration for this odd vehicle came from two unrelated purchases Kershaw made in the '60s. By then, he'd already designed several motorhomes and completed building one, but he was still displeased with the results. He'd just bought an Oldsmobile Toronado and an airplane, and he started toying with the idea of "importing" the plane's cabin in a vehicle of the Toronado's size and with its powertrain.

Kershaw's first attempts at building the vehicle weren't what he'd expected. His idea saw him laughed out the door of most Detroit coachbuilders, and for a while, it did look like it'd remain just that, an idea. But in 1966, Kershaw met Glenn Pray, the famed originator of the replica Cord, at that year's Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Club, and Pray agreed to design the vehicle for $10,000 (approximately $95,200 in today's money).

Pray also brought designer Gordon Buehrig on the project. Together, they created the Kruise-Aire, Kershaw's perfect vehicle, using the chassis of the Toronado as a starting point and building a fiberglass body on top with off-the-shelf parts. According to Kershaw Jr., his father made sure to bring Oldsmobile engineers onboard, consulting on the build.

It would take the team a full year to complete the project, with the interior done by Howard Areo Aircraft Interiors in San Antonio, Texas, which specialized in executive aircraft conversions. Now Kershaw's dream was officially real: an airplane cabin in a land vehicle, packaged in a custom vehicle with a reported price tag of $65,000 ($619,000).

The body of the Kruise-Aire consists of two fiberglass halves joined at the beltine, with parts from other vehicles: a front bumper from Corvette, Camaro taillights, Pontiac headlamp doors, 1934 Auburn grille screens, and a windshield from a GM pickup. The Toronado's front-wheel drive allows for a lowered floor, which creates ample volume inside and helps with maintaining a low profile for the entire vehicle.

Meanwhile, the Toronado's original 425 cubic inch V8 engine, developing 385 hp and 475 lb-ft (644 Nm) of torque, was powerful enough to satisfy Kershaw's desire for performance – and move this limo hybrid at a cruising speed of 90 mph (145 kph). Legend has it the Kruise-Aire could max out at 101 mph (162.5 kph).

But the real beauty of this vehicle is inside. That the Kruise-Aire was designed as a limo becomes apparent once you notice it only has two doors: one for the driver and the other on the passenger side, granting access to the "lounge." It can seat up to seven people, and it mixes features you'd find in an RV with some features you'll see today in luxury SUVs.

For example, there's a small block that doubles as a galley, integrating a sink, a cooler, a stove, and a mini-bar. But Kershaw also made sure his vehicle had an internal comms system (a phone he could use to talk with the driver), a black and white TV, and an 8-track player. Cup holders and ashtrays were par for the course for luxury vehicles back then, so they're also present here.

The "lounge" had a smaller couch at the rear and a slightly larger one facing the door, with two swivel seats opposite it. You could hold a small party or a business meeting in there, but this same space could also double as a family RV, if need be.

The Kruise-Aire reemerged this month as the 1968 Kershaw Cruiseaire Toronado Limousine when the Kershaw estate auctioned it off after Kershaw Jr.'s death in 2023. Kershaw Sr. amassed a huge collection in a storehouse in Alabama, including several vintage railcars and the most eclectic assortment of cars. The Kruise-Aire was in incredible condition, albeit a bit dusty, and still started and ran. It eventually sold for $22,250.

The listing noted that Kershaw Sr. never got to see the interior completed, which could explain it never making it to mass production. According to Kershaw Jr., though, his father lived to see the project finished and even got to drive it. The odo read 738 miles (1,187 km) at the time it was sold at auction.

Whatever the reason the Kruise-Aire never made it to production, it wouldn't change a thing about the reality: it never did. The Kershaw Kruise-Aire remains a beautiful one-off, a well-executed and well-designed vehicle that seemingly avoided being boxed in in any one category by offering the best from several.