This Classic 1968 Clark Cortez Class C RV is a Cheap Ticket To Life on the Road

 It was one of the more interesting things that I’ve driven this year so far, but you can get roughly 80 percent of the experience from buying something considerably older. By older, we of course also mean cheaper. This is a 1968 Clark Cortez Motorhome, and it’s a mobile slice of four-wheeled American pie that you can live in.

Active from the early 1960s through the late 1970s, Cortez Motorhome was one of several of RV makers that set up shop in Michigan during its first big renaissance as the baby boomers came of age. Based in Battle Creek, Cortez began as a manufacturer of ICE and electric forklifts in 1917. That itself was an offshoot of the Clark Equipment Company, which has its hands in everything from industrial equipment to construction vehicles.

Meanwhile, their RV offshoot specialized, albeit briefly, in RVs of multiple types. This included Class-A, Class-B, and Class-C, putting their products firmly in the same market as fat cats like Winnebago and Airstream. in a segment that was absolutely skyrocketing at the time, this humble outfit tussled with the giants. Unique for the time, Clark Cortez RVs used proprietary front-wheel drive transaxles to save floor space normally taken up by a driveshaft.

This typically meant sticking to smaller engines, like the 225-cubic-inch (3.7-L) Chrysler slant-six. This was only the case for a short time, as larger Ford 302 (5.0-L) V8s and even the mighty Oldsmobile 455 (7.5-L) were engineered to work with the unique configuration. This particular Clark Cortez left the Battle Creek factory with a 225 Chrysler motor. But by the time it showed up for sale online, someone had already converted it to the mighty 455 Oldsmobile engine.

A man named James Krantz bought the IP rights to the Cortez Motorhome brand after they ceased production in 1979 and upgraded old slant-six RVs to more Ford and GM drivetrains. Krantz continued to do this throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. Hence, this could very well be one of those examples lovingly converted by a guy who just really liked the look of these RVs.

Depending on whether bunk beds were optioned or not, Clark Cortez RVs could accommodate between four and six people. Space inside the cabin looks relatively favorable. The triple-burner propane cooking range and pint-sized oven could cook meals for everyone on board reasonably well, and there’s plenty of power outlets for what’s still a ‘60s design at the end of the day.

The bathroom gets a full-sized sink and a shower, plus a toilet suitable for humans, not elves. Top it off with that timeless view from beyond that thin vintage steering wheel, and this is an RV worth more than the sum of its parts, or its meager $9,500 asking price. Still, you’ll probably match that in fuel costs.