The Fourteenth UltraVan

UltraVan #203 is the last of the first generation of UltraVans - with the extended A-pillar member that defines the front corner of the coach, the chrome Chevy pickup bumpers, the swing-arm rear suspension, and the ornamental dually wheels. It is also the last coach with the stove installed on the left side of the galley.

At 22 or 23 feet long, #203 first appears to be a dead ringer for #6, until you start to notice the details: the squared-off rear window corners, the wedding-cake taillights, the lack of tow hitches and cooling air intakes, and the distinctive front wheel arches.

Also, the front overhang is a little bit shorter on #203. The front edge of the wheel well lines up with the top corner of the windshield on #6, but with the lower corner of the windshield on #203 - which is consistent with the later 22 foot UltraVans. Although the front window still appears to be a bit wider than the later ones, it is visibly narrower than #6's front window.

This is the first UltraVan where the Ford Econoline headlight bezels were not modified to incorporate the turn signals - instead the turn signals are mounted in the body just below the headlights. This is also the only coach (other than the prototype) where the fiberglass front roof corners are separated by an aluminum section with support ribs underneath.

Even though #203 was built in Oakland, it has anachronistic "UltraVan - Hutchinson, Kans" emblems installed front and back. It is currently registered as a 1965 model.

Dave Peterson's notes tell us that the fourteenth UltraVan was initially delivered to Robert V. McAninch of Jupiter Auto Sales (Jupiter FL). Huston & Maida Hurt of Redding CA registered coach #203 with the UVMCC from 1968 to 1973, and Richard & Retta Kossow of Ojai CA registered it with the Club from 1985-2002. Retta served as juror on the trial of the four policemen accused of using excessive force against Rodney King in 1992. Richard passed away in 2001.

Michael LaRoche of Ventura CA bought the coach in 2005, and found that it had not had a valid registration "since the early eighties". In 2008, he sold the coach for $200 to the current owner Aaron Landy of Los Angeles CA. Aaron joined the Club from 2009-2012. 

Aaron had to replace the blown/warped 140 hp engine with a rebuilt 110 hp engine to get the coach back on the road. Over the years he has also made structural repairs, replaced the windshields, fixed several issues with the steering, and thoroughly insulated the coach with polyisocyanurate board (secured with expanding foam gap filler and reflectix tape).

The coach lives on the street in west Los Angeles, and random strangers wandering past frequently post pictures of it on Instagram.