One of the most mythical truck campers of all time was recently unearthed. Matched brilliantly with a 1968 Chevrolet C20 pickup, this rig will make you swoon for a more simple time. Let’s go there together.
In early 2022, readers Dave Riddle and Drew DeBois sent in an outrageous flame throwing truck camper for sale on the website BringATrailer.com. We featured the Franklin 11FK6 camper, 1968 Chevy C20 pickup, and the Frankenstein “refurbishment”—from overhang to fire-breathing skull hood ornament. To this day, that was easily the most eye-grabbing and dangerous truck camper ever to grace these electrons. If you missed it, have a smokin’ look back.
You’d think that hot story would have us checking Bring A Trailer quite often, and we did—for a little while. Let’s just say it’s not every day that a fire-breathing slide-in comes up. Eventually, our attention moved onto other things.
Fast forward almost three years. While researching our reader question on what campers to bring back, we came across a stunning 1966 Del Ray Sky Lounge truck camper on—you guessed it—Bring A Trailer. Oh, our hearts be still.
The Del Ray Sky Lounge is one of those legendary truck campers you only see in the 1960’s copies of Camper Coachman magazine. And yet, there is was in all its tri-level glory, perfectly color-matched to a 1968 Chevrolet C20 CST Custom Camper. How in the heck has this truck and camper survived in this condition for well over half a century?
Well, it didn’t. At least not together. The Bring A Trailer listing explains that the three-quarter ton truck was purchased in Denver and remained with its original owner for five decades.
The seller purchased the truck in 2023, and then matched it with the 1966 Del Ray Sky Lounge camper. The truck and camper may not have been partnered all this time, but they sure look like they belong together.
I was originally suspicious of the gold and white truck and camper thinking that one of the two—likely the truck—had been painted to match the other. However, according to the listing, the truck left the GM factory painted gold with an off-white roof and lower bodywork. The truck was repainted thirty-three years ago, but it seems the paint color was kept original.
Can you imagine GM coming out with this gold and white color combination today? Given how acid-wash jeans are evidently back, it could happen.
I have to give a huge shout-out to the photographer(s) who took the time to fully document this camper before it disappears into someone’s garage. Not only did they beautifully photograph this rig, but they took the time to shoot it both in full daylight and at the sunset golden hour.
There are a few shots that could have easily won our calendar contest. Whoever you are, well done. And thank you.
The photography reveals the unmistakable front profile of the Del Ray Sky Lounge. The blue-tinted, aerodynamics-be-damned front windows, the pointed rear deck, and the quilted aluminum all scream (or is it sing) the golden age of American truck camper design and manufacturing. Just gorgeous!
Around the front are two cabover struts connecting the truck and cabover. Cabover struts were popular in the 1960s with multiple companies offering “Shock-Eze”, “Bounce-A-Way” and “E-ZY Rider” stabilizers. Think of these struts as a type of shock absorber. The idea was to better control the camper’s movement while driving.
Way back in 2013, we installed a modern equivalent of this product offered by Lance Campers. “Do they work?” you ask. Well, yes they do, but that’s not the whole story. For a deep dive into our testing—including a swingin’ hula girl—check out our full Cabover Strut report.
Front just inside the front door, it’s clear that we’re looking at a very different camper. My brain immediately said, “What’s going on with the caved-in roof?” It turns out that it’s the ‘third floor’ bedroom, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
On the rear passenger’s side is a relatively well-appointed wet bath including a toilet and shower. Note the funky faux tile pattern on the walls.
The shower is perhaps the most foreign appliance feature in the whole camper. What the heck is this thing? It’s so ugly it’s cool in that retro steampunk kinda way. Does anyone else see the face? The black hat? The oval nose? The open mouth and off-on switchable tongue? Could this shower thing get any weirder?
On the driver’s side is a fairly traditional kitchen layout. Note the double sink.
It’s easy to assume that features like double sinks and combination propane cooktops and ovens in truck campers are modern design innovations. In point of fact, a lot of what truck camper companies debut as new and exciting in 2024 were done in the 1960s and 1970s. If you doubt me, pick up a 1960s copy of Camper Coachman and peruse the ads. Time after time, what’s old is new again.
Against a sizable cabinet is one of those legendary 60s truck camper products no manufacturer would dare offer today. What is that golden and woven box on the wall? It’s an intercom!
Back in the day, people not only routinely rode in the camper while it was driving down the highway (an insanely dangerous practice), but they used an intercom system to talk to the driver and passenger in the pickup. “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Over…”
Across from the kitchen on the passenger’s side is a U-shape dinette. You have to love the magazine rack with the cutout crown shape and inset golden metal lattice and the single-pane crank out jalousie-style windows. It’s so vintage 60’s camper it hurts, a little.
Standing at the front wall looking back, the camper almost looks normal. In this photo, I found myself studying the color of the matching appliances. It’s tempting to say they’re avocado green, but it’s too blue for that distinction. Perhaps light aquamarine? Whatever it is, it’s definitely a color of the time.
And here’s where the name ‘Sky Lounge’ starts to come into play. This photo was taken from the ‘first floor’ looking toward the front of the camper. In the lower center, you can see the ‘second floor’ observation deck (my description). In the middle, you can see the ‘third floor’ bedroom.
Here’s the ‘first floor’ entrance to the observation deck. Climb up and squeeze in.
This is what you would see from the passenger’s side of the observation deck. From this vantage point, you can see the space you clambered through from the ‘first floor’, and the ‘third floor’ bedroom immediately above that crawl-through space.
Sitting in the observation deck chairs and looking forward presented a nearly 180-degree view.
I believe the designers of this camper intended for camper occupants to ride in the camper sitting in this observation deck. We’ve had hundreds of baby boomer-aged readers tell us that they rode in their parent’s camper looking out the front cabover windows. The Del Ray Sky Lounge camper takes that idea to its logical—and completely nuts—pinnacle.
Speaking of windows, I love how there are two small crank-open windows under the main window for ventilation, and two more crank-open windows on the sides for more airflow.
There’s also a light on the ceiling for using the observation deck at night. For privacy, they even have a curtain—center-left—that stretches across the front window area. The observation deck may have been a completely nuts idea, but the design team clearly thought it through and executed it well.
Behind the observation deck is the ‘third floor’ bedroom. This is an East-West oriented bed with four windows and no storage. Honestly, it looks a bit precarious with how it ‘floats’ above the ‘first floor’. To say the least, you would never leave young children in this area.
For adults, it’s another story—no pun intended. By floating the third floor above the first, you retain the bedroom area and gain the observation deck. I would love to have met the team that envisioned this camper and talked to them about their remarkable design. It may be a bit out there, but it’s incredibly innovative.
My one remaining question about the ‘third floor’ bedroom is why it appears slanted in some of the photographs. Presumably, this floor can be tilted to one side to maximize the living space when you’re downstairs. I can see this same approach being taken with a modern camper, only with gas struts aiding and controlling the ‘third floor’ movement. Perhaps a truck camper designer out there will see this and get a crazy idea. The past inspiring the future… We can’t wait.
One more detail has to be mentioned. Screwed on the front wall of the camper interior is a paper and stamped metal mini promotional calendar for Rockybilt Builds Hamburgers—forever frozen in time in January of 1966. With the tagline, “24 Hr. Breakfast & Lunch Sessions” it sounds like the classic diners my dad still loves when we can find them.
Like Del Ray Campers, Rockybilt is no longer in business. The first listed address is now a Buffalo Bills Wing’s ‘n Things. I didn’t have the heart to learn the fate of the other eleven locations.
Sold for $60,000
The 1968 Chevy C20 and 1966 Del Ray Sky Lounge sold for $60,000 on June 7th. We would love to hear from the current owner and find out where this magnificent vintage beauty has ended up. Hopefully, it’s not already stowed in another garage, once again lost to the world and collecting dust for the next half-century.
Fifty years from now (2074) the future publisher of Truck Camper Magazine—Jack Specwire III—will once again write a story about it, and the cycle starts again.
For those of you who want to see more of this wonderful truck and camper, there are 622 photos and 374 comments on the Bring A Trailer listing. Have fun, kids!
