This Vintage Mercedes-Benz Motorhome Is As Short As A Van, Almost Fits In A Regular Parking Space, And Is Surprisingly Affordable

The average American Class A motorhome is a beast that can span up to 45 feet long, weigh tens of thousands of pounds, and cost more than a house. There’s nothing wrong with a palace on wheels, but not everyone is into that. If that sounds like you, I found an interesting alternative. This 1983 Hymer S660 was never sold in America, but it has been brought here and lovingly updated into a motorhome that can camp with anything else at your local KOA. At only 21 feet long, it’s about as short as a cargo van. Oh, and it has a manual transmission, too.

I have often said that custom motorhomes and imported motorhomes are the way to go if you’re jaded with the state of American motorhome design. There’s a whole world of RVs out there that do things differently than the companies in Indiana do. However, imported motorhomes often come with a big catch in that they’re built for the very different electrical systems of other countries. That means that you aren’t rolling up to an American campsite and plugging in without some level of modifications.

There are a few ways to get around this, like installing a power converter or bringing a power station along for the ride. Or, you can go through the hard work to convert the whole motorhome to be compatible with the U.S. power grid, appliances, outlets, shore power hookup, and all.

That’s exactly what happened with this 1983 Hymer S660. Someone went through all of the work to make this motorhome fully compatible with American campsites, so all you have to do is turn the key and drive.

Big In Europe

While Hymer GmbH & Co. KG is not a well-known name here in America, it is famous in Europe.

According to Hymer, its story began in Bad Waldsee in 1923, when Alfons Hymer opened a shop to build and repair agricultural vehicles. Less than a decade later, in 1931, Arist Dethleffs built one of Germany’s first known campers, which was called the “wohnauto” (live-in car). Erwin Hymer, the son of Alfons, used his father’s business as the foundation for his own idea.

The young Hymer thought that it should be possible to vacation in Germany without staying in a hotel or a tent. He would join forces with aviation pioneer and friend Erich Bachem, who built a trailer for a customer in 1956. A year later, Hymer bought into Bachem’s business and built the first prototypes of a trailer line that would become known as the Eriba Troll.

Hymer’s business took off, and by 1961, it built its first motorhome out of a Borgward van. Just three of those were built, but by a decade later, Hymer had achieved mass production. That year, Hymer built its first self-contained, semi-integrated Class A motorhome with the Hymermobil 550, which was based on the Mercedes L 508 D. Fully integrated builds would come soon after.

An important point in Hymer history came in 1976, when it built its third factory. This factory allowed the brand to expand into new corners of the RV market. According to the March and April 2002 issue of Motorhome Monthly (the link downloads a PDF), Hymer began building semi-trailer RVs for the super-rich in the Gulf states.

This experience was Hymer’s likely inspiration to move its own motorhomes upmarket, to serve the rich in Europe. In 1978, Hymer built the 7.5-metric-ton 900, which had every luxury found in American motorhomes, including air conditioners and built-in generators. Only a handful of these sold, but they showed that buyers were into having more luxuries. Motorhome Monthly continues with the 1979 S-Class, which succeeded the 900:

 The new S-Class brought rounded frontal styling and a smoothly curved, double skinned and insulated GRP roof. Technical advances included crumple zones, crash-tested seatbelt mountings in the cab and a double dinette with flip-over front seat so that all four occupants could face forwards for travel. Cosmetically the interior took clues from the 900 but, carried on the Mercedes ‘Bremen’ chassis, one could buy a new 660 S-Class for half the price of a 900.

This Hymer S660

This 1983 Hymer S660 is one of those early S-Class models, and as Motorhome Monthly noted, it’s a German motorhome with a lot of the same features found in American motorhomes.

The S660 rides on a Mercedes-Benz 310 T1 platform. Mercedes-Benz T1 production began in 1977 as a vehicle intended to be bigger and more powerful than a typical van, but lighter and more maneuverable than an actual truck. The T1 was known for its durability and, over its 18 years of production, Mercedes-Benz sold nearly a million examples. Part of what made the T1 so popular was its versatility, with its series of body types, diesel and gasoline engines, and gross weights ranging from 2.55 metric tons to 4.6 tons.

This 310 is powered by a 2.3-liter M102.942 single overhead cam four-cylinder gasoline engine. The seller says that it’s making 109 HP, but that’s not correct. There are versions of the M102 that made that much power, but the 102.942 inside of a 1983 310 makes 94 horsepower and 125.39 lb-ft of torque. That is the same horsepower output as the 310’s OM602 inline-five diesel option, but with slightly less torque. This engine is backed by a five-speed manual.

While this engine is not nearly as iconic as an old Mercedes diesel, it is known for being able to survive some serious mileage. This example is said to have the equivalent of 190,000 miles. It’s also said to be leak-free.

There are a few notable parts about the motorhome’s exterior, like the split-opening entry door, the trailer hitch, and a nice ladder to climb to the roof. I like the big front windows, which both let in a ton of natural light, while giving the driver a lot of visibility. The coach rides on a set of adorable 15-inch wheels.

The interior might be the most impressive part. I’ll let the seller tell the motorhome’s story:

This three-owner Hymer was lovely owned by the second owner for 26 years. He was stationed in the Netherlands with the US military where he acquired the S660 and subsequently brought with him to Germany where he was reassigned. He met his now German wife there, had children and remained until 2016 when he relocated to the US. During his ownership, it was kept garaged both in Europe and in the US. The third owner purchased it in 2020 and drove it from Illinois to California where it remains today in an enclosed garage.

This model is 21 feet long (6.6M) and sleeps five in an aft double bed and a front pull-down bed of the same size, a unique Hymer feature seen on their motorhome models to this day. A fifth person can sleep on the dinette that converts to a bed. The driver and passenger front seats pivot 180° for conversational seating while camping. There is ample storage in numerous overhead cabinets in the salon plus drawers and a lower cabinet below the cooktop. A large, lighted clothes closet. Is opposite the sizeable wet bathroom.

The current owner turns 80 next year and has painstakingly restored this lovely classic Hymer for the last six years. He would like to see it go to a younger enthusiast who will continue the restoration and enjoy it traveling for many years to come. It is always a conversation starter wherever it goes on the road. He is a member of three Hymer Facebook groups where is a legend for his posts from California. These groups and tremendous database of information makes every question answerable and every part available. Ongoing projects are down to the last few items, e.g. rebuild the ducting for the truck ventilation, repair chassis rust, upgrade some interior light fixtures, install a cassette toilet, upgrade the motor someday to the compatible 2.3L Kompressor motor.

When the seller says that the current owner restored the motorhome, he isn’t kidding. It has everything from new skylights and new paint to new upholstery and countertops. The owner replaced everything from the appliances to the brakes. He didn’t just do period-correct replacements, either. The coach has a modern tankless water heater, 200 watts of solar, LED lights, a lithium house battery, and all-new plumbing.

But the biggest part, I think, is that the RV’s entire electrical system, appliances and all, has been converted to 120 volts. This means that you can park this bad boy at a campsite and plug in just like you would any domestic motorhome.

The Price Isn’t Bad

This Hymer S660 is located in Arroyo Grande, California, and can be yours for $24,000, which seems reasonable, given the amount of work put into the restoration. Sure, with only 94 horses on tap, you will never be the fastest one to the campground. We’re also not told what fuel economy that little four-cylinder gets in this application. But I don’t think you’ll be able to call this motorhome boring.

Something else I like is that, since this motorhome was restored using equipment that you can buy in America, fixing the house part of it shouldn’t be that much of a nightmare. Though I do think that trailer hitch might be a little optimistic.

I just love that there’s a niche in American import culture where people are bringing RVs, rather than just the typical Renault Twingos and Nissan Skylines. It’s awesome that the RV imports aren’t just limited to stuff from Japan, too. So, even though this motorhome won’t be for everyone, I’m glad someone imported it.

Top graphic image: Facebook listing