The Second UltraVan

Although Dave Peterson built the first UltraVan for his own personal use, he received so much attention and interest whenever he took it out that very soon he started working towards production. By late August 1961 he was showing renderings of a proposed "Conestoga Motorized Home" to potential investors in "The Ultra Van Manufacturing Company". The new concept was much modified, perhaps addressing lessons learned in the construction and early use of the prototype.

He set up shop in a wooden warehouse at 366 8th Avenue in Oakland (which he would continue to use through 1973), tacked up a full scale profile of the coach on the wall, hired some local high school & tech school students, and started building "the Demo Van" (which would later be known as UltraVan #200).

Surviving records show that on October 3 1962 Peterson demonstrated his "Go-Home" to Ed Cole at the the GM engineering center in Detroit; in mid-November 1962 the Go-Home flyer (featuring a photo of the completed Demo Van) went to press in the 1963 Chevrolet Silver Book; on February 1-10 1963 the coach itself was displayed to the public at the 19th annual San Francisco National Sports and Boat Show (at the Cow Palace); and on March 30-31 1963 it was displayed at Montgomery Chevrolet in North Hollywood. The coach was last registered as a 1963 model.

The new design carried over the prototype's 24 foot length, Corvair drivetrain & swing-arm rear suspension, stepvan windshields, Chevy pickup bumpers, front and rear tow hitches, ornamental dually wheels, and Spartan trailer rear body shape; however the reverse-tumblehome side profile was abandoned in favor of a more conventional shape.

The new coach sported Ford Econoline headlights, Ford Falcon taillights, and a new full-width front suspension incorporating very large control arms. Unique features of #200 include the shape of the front wheel arches and the wedge-shaped rocker panel trim. The left side molding was actually used as an external wiring harness gangway. Peterson reported that the completed Demo Van weighed 1,815 lbs empty and 2,710 lbs with all furnishings.

Pictures show #200 parked alongside the Oakland shop as late as 1965 (partially hidden behind #203), and it is most likely that Peterson personally operated it until he acquired #302 in 1967. The next three owners listed in the Club archives are: Harold N. Zastrow of Linthicum Heights MD (the date 3/23/67 is noted but not explained), Oren E. Hines of White Marsh MD, and Henry & Pauline Wills of Savage MD (who were UltraVan Club members from 1973-74).

In 1975 Mel Dinesen of Bakersfield California retrieved the coach from Florida, then completely gutted and rebuilt the interior, swapped in a 110 hp engine, converted the rear suspension to the later Ultra, Inc. trailing arm design, changed out the large galley window, and added a window to the door and a solar panel to the roof. Mel and his wife Millie showed the coach at Corvair shows and UltraVan rallies on the west coast for over twenty years.

#200 was acquired by a prominent performance artist in 1998. Rirkrit Tiravanija intended to drive the coach across the USA with five Thai art students as an art project sponsored by the Philadelphia Museum: "Untitled 1998 (on the road with Jiew Jeaw Jieb Sri and Moo)":
http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/1998/7.html
A book/CD-ROM/Exhibition Catalog was published in conjunction with the project.

Unfortunately the coach was wrecked early in the project, but after its completion Tiravanija retrieved the coach from Arizona and displayed part of it in his exhibition "Untitled 1999 (reading from right to left)" at the Wexner Center For The Arts in Columbus Ohio (Jan-Apr 1999). It is not known what became of the remains of the coach after the show.

A collection of photos of the Demo Van can be seen here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8769347@N03/sets/72157650166747825