Wanderlust: ’63 Westfalia Caravan

We’ve always wanted a lead-off story that began with, “It still has its original Seppelfricke cooker.” Check that off the bucket list. You have to admit this is a cool camper and since we’ve never seen one before we have only an Airstream to compare it to. The bullet, shiny aluminum shape of the Airstream is unmistakably American. We’ve been in a few original, unmodified oldies and the interior build quality looks shabby compared to this Westphalia. We get it, this isn’t Wood Workers Daily so how are we to judge. We are not. But as fans of mid-century furniture design, the interior of the Westie is just plan cool. It even has a complete set of little colored glasses (drinking vessels) in their holders. The body is made of sheet steel, double-wall insulation and has lots of windows. The overall length is 16′ making this a pretty reasonable size to tow behind your ’64 Mercedes-Benz 300SE. We have no idea what the valuation is for one of these. A restored Airstream this size could be anywhere from $10 – $18,000 depending on fittings. If you have plans to tour Europe this summer, this is your ticket to see it the way Europeans do. Then you ship it home and you’ll have the coolest pool house in the neighborhood. See it here on eBay Germany.