This 82-Year-Old Flxible Clipper Camper Conversion Is In Better Condition Than Some New RVs

I’ve come across an old bus that has blown me away in how good it looks. Despite about 82 years on this planet, this 1941 Flxible Clipper looks like it rolled right out of a museum. Even better, someone converted it into an RV and gave it modern diesel power. This piece of transit history needs a new home and it’s not even that expensive.

If you haven’t noticed, lately I’ve been on a search for my unicorn: a GM New Look bus. I wrote about a ridiculously cheap New Look at the lighting site and I really think that I should have bought it. Since then, the ones that I’ve found for sale were either rustbuckets, non-operational projects, or just outrageously expensive. But that hasn’t stopped a girl from dreaming. I’ve been striking out on New Look finds and instead I’ve been finding other pieces of history, like that low-floor coach.

I’ve also found another Flxible bus. We’ve featured old Flxible Visicoaches a couple of times before, but neither of those presented in the condition that you’re about to see today with this Clipper. Just hook your peepers onto this beauty.

Sidecars To Buses

Flxible, which you’d say like “flexible,” started life in the early 1910s by Hugo H. Young in Mansfield, Ohio. Young owned a Harley-Davidson dealership and invented a flexible sidecar coupling that allows the attached motorcycle to lean into turns. When Young tried to trademark the company name, he apparently learned that he couldn’t patent a word like flexible. The company got creative and dropped the first “e,” finding itself able to trademark the resulting name, “Flxible.”

Sidecar production lasted until the early 1920s, when the company’s expensive sidecars couldn’t compete with Ford’s budget-minded Model T. Eventually, Flxible left the sidecar business, shifting its main products to catering to the burgeoning bus market.

Flxible’s first bus was a 12-passenger Studebaker sedan built in 1924. As it grew, Flxible built intercity coaches, as well as bus-based ambulances and hearses.

Over the decades, Flxible would be known for building buses that were as much functional as they were pieces of art. In 1937, Flxible introduced the Clipper, a bus that measured 28 feet long, seated 25 passengers, and was driven by an engine mounted up front.

Passenger baggage rode on the roof and the body was supported by a wooden frame. This design lasted for just one year and in 1938, the Clipper saw major upgrades. Now it used a full-steel unitized construction and the engine was moved to the rear. The new Clipper also saw the removal of mounted fenders, and instead, Flxible sometimes painted the buses in a two-tone scheme that resembled fenders.

Flxible Owners International explains that in the early 1940s, these buses saw gradual changes throughout their production. Passenger capacity rose to 29 and baggage was moved off of the roof and into a compartment. Windshields became curved for more visibility and rectangular side windows became stylish parallelograms. The owners site also notes that these early buses also had sightseeing versions with glass roof panels. A later Flxible Clipper was a prominent vehicle in the movie RV, and I’m stoked to have finally found a Clipper that hasn’t been mostly returned to the Earth.

This Bus

The seller of this 1941 Flxible Clipper doesn’t give us much information about its history. According to the bus lovers of the Canadian Public Transport Discussion Board, these were in use with at least two dozen bus lines in the United States alone, with more going to Canada. This unit has been repainted and after a lot of searching, I’m not sure if it’s based on any real livery.

The seller does say that the bus has been refurbished in a tasteful manner that maintains the integrity of the unit. The exterior certainly looks the part and the interior is just as good.

This interior isn’t modern like yesterday’s Champion Ultrastar, but that may be a benefit here. Remember, this bus is a whole 82 years old. Making it look like a luxury hotel might make it jarring.

No details are given about the camper conversion, but you can spot a three-burner stove, refrigerator, and microwave. The bus also has running water and what appears to be a full bathroom.

I really like how the kitchen is done. It’s dated, sure, but it appears to be in good condition and of decent quality. You get plenty of seating and counter surfaces, too. Looking around the back, the unit appears to have an air-conditioner, a tow package, and an older backup camera.

From the factory, these buses often came equipped with a 320 cubic inch Buick straight-eight gasoline engine. However, this one has been given a new diesel engine.

The seller doesn’t say what this engine is, but it’s paired with an automatic transmission. I’ve seen old buses upgraded to Detroit Diesel or Cummins power, so I’d expect something like that. I’ve reached out to the seller for more information and will update when I hear back.

Even with the lack of information on this unit, color me impressed. It’s not a walk in the park keeping a giant bus in good shape, so I’m not surprised that many of these old rigs are rusty with peeling paint. This bus is in such good shape that its paint shines.

I have no doubt that this is in better condition than some of the new RVs that I’ve seen and way better than one of my parents’ travel trailers. And at $27,500 from the seller in North Branch, Michigan, it isn’t a huge price of entry for an old bus that at least on the surface, won’t need a major overhaul right after purchase.

On that note, if you happen to know of any vintage buses for sale like a GM New Look or more obscure buses, drop them in my inbox at mercedes@theautopian.com. I’d love to see them!

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.