The Sixth UltraVan

The sixth UltraVan presents significant contrasts with the other Prescolite-built UltraVans. In the first place, the ownership history is completely documented: Jerry Light of Stockton CA took delivery of #6 from Prescolite in 1963; and Harlan and Joal Olson of Bozeman MT bought the coach from Jerry and his wife Ethelanne in 2008.

The second contrast is that even though #6 has a Prescolite serial number (163006), it has no Travalon, Prescolite, or Aircraft Trim tags or emblems. Instead it has anachronistic "ULTRAVAN - HUTCHINSON, KANS." emblems on front and back. There are also "ULTRAVAN - OAKLAND, CALIF" emblems stored in a cupboard that technically could have been original to the coach, but they also might have been added at any time (like for instance whenever the coach was repainted from its original two-tone cream and gray scheme to its current "triple stripe" layout). At least two other Travalons have been seen to display UltraVan badges over the years, but even so they still had the Travalon identification plate and Custom Trim sticker next to the entry door.

The most striking contrast is that UltraVan #6 is significantly shorter than the preceding coaches. Both the wheelbase and the front overhang are reduced. The 156 inch wheelbase is 6 inches less than the 24 foot coaches; the overhang is harder to measure but can be easily seen by comparing photos. Notice how the rear edge of the curved roof panel overhangs the slider window opening and the wheel centerline on #6, but all three align perfectly on #4. Also note that the slider window is itself narrower than on the longer coaches.

Although it hasn't been directly confirmed, it seems likely that #6 is 23 feet long overall. The wheelbase on the later 22 foot UltraVans is another 4" shorter, the slider windows are even narrower, and the front overhang is also further reduced (the front of the wheel well aligns with the top corner of the windshields on #6, vs the bottom corner on the 22 foot coaches).

#6 features front and rear tow hitches like #101 and #200, and has the same Prescolite taillight pods as #63104. Also like #63104, the interior is upholstered - with white vinyl ceiling and green vinyl walls.

The earliest pictures of the coach show that it was equipped with a roof-mounted split air-conditioner, most likely a repurposed commercial truck refrigeration system. It also had a nose-mounted spare tire as early as 1969.

#6 also has a unique freshwater tank mounted inside the wall in front of the passenger seat, with an external filler above the right headlight. 

Jerry Light became a charter member of the UVMCC when it first formed in 1967, maintaining his membership until 1973. Slides from the Ryerson collection confirm his attendance at the third UVMCC rally at Furnace Creek park in Death Valley CA (February 17-20 1968), and the eighth UVMCC rally at Circle H Ranch in Anza CA (May 1-4 1969). An even older photo in the UVMCC Archives shows #6 parked with #163103 (the 10th UltraVan) in front of a service station in Pumpkin Center SD (July 25 1964).

In 2008, Harlan and Joal found out about the coach from friends who were tenants on the Light's rental property near Bozeman, where it had been parked for over 20 years. Like #63104, the upholstered walls and ceiling had been severely damaged by rodentry, but otherwise the coach was in much better condition. The main problem in removing it from the property was the stuck emergency brake and frozen rear brake drums.

The Olson's trade and avocation is the conservation and restoration of antique horse drawn carriages (https://highcountryhorsedrawn.com), so they are naturally very careful regarding the historical provenance of the coach. But they would ultimately like to restore the coach or at least stabilize it sufficiently to use it as a comfortable guest quarters.

A collection of photos of #6 can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8769347@N03/albums/72157657871920404