by Gabrielle DeSantis

The obsession with RVs doesn’t seem to be slowing down, even as the world begins to open up again. As we start seeing glimpses of a post COVID world, many people are still trying to snag a camper van and bug out of town. Even though camper vans blew up during COVID lockdowns, craving the openness and freedom of van life is nothing new. You know the VW hippie van, of course, but are you familiar with the incredible vintage Ford camper van, the Thames 400E Dormobile? 

This vintage ford camper van is way too cool 

 The Thames 400E was an instant classic for anyone who craved the carefree living that camper vans offer. The Thames was a popular one for modifications because it was a body-on-frame van instead of the more common unibody platform. 

According to Silodrome, this body-on-frame design allowed for many more customization options for different body types, which led to the camper van builders, Dormobile, to take a shot at it. 

What is Dormobile? 

Silodrome says that Dormobile’s roots go way earlier than camper vans. Hell, it goes back over 100 years before the car even existed. Dormobile started in 1773 as Martin Walter, a company that made tack for horses, like harnesses and bridles. Harnesses turned to carriages and carriages into coachbuilding for early car makers. 

After many twists and turns, Dormobile built its first camper van in 1952. It was known as the “bedroom on wheels” and people loved it. By the early ‘60s, they were dominating the English camper scene. Dormobile was upfitting Land Rover campers, VWs, and of course the vintage ford camper van conversion, the Thames 400E. 

Check out the Dormobile Thames 400E

The vintage ford camper we see on Silodrome was built from a new Ford van in 1965. It was outfitted by Dormobile and sold to a man in Dublin, Ireland, as a fully-converted pop-top camper van. 

This vintage ford camper van only traded hands one time, from the original owner to the current owner. The Thames 400E also got a full body restoration. The original paint was stripped to bare metal so that the sheet metal work and needed fabrication could be done properly. 

Along with the body restoration, the original engine was swapped with a more powerful replacement, a high-compression 1,703cc unit rebuilt by Phoenix Rebore. Now that the work is done, the Thames 400E is ready to rock summer vacation yet again. 

The interior is still laid out in the original configuration. The cabin features seating for four that converts to make two beds. There are also two cot/hammocks in the roof, which are usable when the top is fully open. The rear of the vintage Ford camper van is home to a tiny kitchenette and cupboards for kitchen storage. It even has a sink with running water. 

This vintage Ford camper van could be yours

After only two owners, this vintage Ford camper van is ready to find its third adventure-seeking owner. It is currently on the auction block in the UK at Car & Classic. The current bid is £6,600, but the reserve is not met. There is only a little more than a day left on the auction. 

This quirky classic proves that van life is nothing new and is unlikely to go anywhere any time soon. 

RELATED: This Rare Vintage RV Oozes Charm

The post Incredible Vintage Ford Camper Van Proves Van Life Ain’t Nothing New appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

If you look at the current Honda Civic lineup, you’ll notice that the hatchback version has four doors. It’s nothing ground-breaking as many automakers have released four-door hatchbacks in the past. However, back in 1999, the sixth-generation Civic lineup was limited to a coupe, sedan, or a two-door hatchback body style.

Many Honda enthusiasts through the years have modified this generation of the Civic to no end. But one enthusiast, named Jose, took things a step further by making his 1999 Honda Civic a four-door car.

This four-door Civic hatchback started life as a sedan

Jose’s 1999 Honda Civic hatchback wasn’t originally a hatchback at all. According to a video interview that he did with Automotive Anatomy – a YouTube channel that features many Honda enthusiasts’ cars – Jose’s Civic started life as a sedan. And although he made modifications to it when it had a trunk, he always wondered if it were possible to give it a hatchback flair.

“It took six months just measuring the whole thing just to see if it was possible,” Jose said in the interview. “And somebody was already rolling with it. People had already done it. So I was like ‘That’s cool, it can be done! I’m down, let’s do it!”

Jose then went to work and got himself the best welder and tools that he could find to get the job done. He then sourced an imported Civic hatchback rear end that he had to cut and then weld onto his Civic sedan’s body.

“They tell you ‘measure twice, cut once.’ But for this (project), you have to measure at least (500 times) and then cut,” Jose said. “That’s the reason it looks so clean.”

The Civic has other modifications too

The hatchback conversion wasn’t the only modification that Jose did to his car. The Civic’s yellow and blue paint scheme is modeled after the Spoon Sports-built cars in Japan and the front end is from a 97 Honda Civic Type R as is the rear spoiler. Underneath the fenders are a set of Skunk2 coil-overs that provide the Civic lowered stance and a set of Enkei Racing S wheels to finish the overall look.

The interior of the Civic plays host to a pair of red Recaro SR3 racing seats, a K-Tuned short shifter, and a Momo Italia steering wheel that he imported as well. Under the hood is a B18C1 engine that Jose bought from a junkyard for $300. That’s a pretty good deal considering these Integra engine swaps still retail for around $3,000. Unfortunately, the engine had to be completely rebuilt, which Jose did with new Integra Type R pistons.

This Civic goes to show that anything is possible

While Jose’s 1999 Civic four-door hatchback is quite the anomaly in the Honda world, it also goes to show that anything is possible with the right amount of ingenuity, effort, and money. To some people, this Civic might look like every other modified import car on the street, but for Jose, building it meant more than just modifying a Civic for the sake of it.

“When it comes to these Hondas, there’s something to be appreciated, there’s something to be valued, there’s something to be admired,” Jose said. “And that’s all I really wanted to do. To show my appreciation and admiration for the H badge. The H badge has always been in my heart and it always will be in my heart.”

RELATED: The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback Is at the Top of the Class

The post This Four-Door 1999 Honda Civic Hatchback Is an Automotive Anomaly appeared first on MotorBiscuit.