The Del Rey “Sky Lounge” camper was one of the most iconic of the 1960s-1970s. It fitted on the back of a pickup truck and provided comfortable split level living. It was a testimony to the intelligent design that created it.
Fast Facts
- Del Rey is Spanish for “Of the King”
- It was the name given to his camper company by Bill Overhulser
- One of the most famous of the Del Rey campers was the “Sky Lounge”.
- The Sky Lounge campers were made to fit on the back of a pickup truck and provided three levels for the occupants to enjoy.
- A Del Rey Sky Lounge with Chevrolet C-20 pickup is for sale on Bring a Trailer at time of publication.
William Thomas “Bill” Overhulser was born in 1927 and, as a committed Christian, attended Fort Wayne Bible College as an essential part of his education before doing further studies in Michigan.
He married Josephine Ummel in 1947 and they had four sons, Joseph, Lyle, James and David.
Bill Overhulser took a job at Richardson Homes in Elkhart in 1952 and set about learning all he could. He had an ambition to start his own business and developed a vision for what that business would look like.
He stayed with Richardson Homes for five years and then parted company with them to start Lil’ Sport Coach, making travel trailers out of the family garage. This would be the move that would lead to him becoming a premier maker of mobile homes and recreational vehicles.
Realizing that the name “Lil’ Sport Coach” was not ideal for his new business Bill tried to change the name to “Le Safari” which sounded suitably exotic and adventurous: but rival Airstream had already registered that as a trademark so Bill was forced to put on his thinking cap and come up with something else.
The name he came up with was Del Rey Industries; Del Rey translating from Spanish as “Of the King”.
Bill Overhulser was keen on adventuring and his family enjoyed camping, boating and swimming: and in addition to that he had a passion for Christian Missions and he obtained his pilot’s license with which he would ultimately become involved in missions to Central and South America.
One of Bill’s favorite Bible verses was “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Peter 1:3), and when he passed away in April 2020 he wanted that verse to form part if his obituary.
Bill’s penchant for adventure led him to create one of the most outstanding recreational vehicles to emerge from the United States: the Del Rey Sky Lounge camper.
The Sky Lounge was a three level camper that fitted onto the rear of a pickup truck such as the Chevrolet C20. It provided a downstairs kitchen, toilet, shower, and living area that could be converted for sleeping. Over the cab of the light truck was the “Sky Lounge” which provided sitting space that was convertible to sleeping space.
The third level was the roof which provided an area for sunbathing or watching sporting events – and in the event of inclement weather people could watch the sporting event from the comfort of the Sky Lounge.
The Del Rey Sky Lounge camper became both popular and famous and they were made in various sizes including a large version for a large family that fitted onto a Dodge D-200 Crew Cab.
Bill Overhulser was a founding member of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) and was inducted into the RVIA Hall of Fame in 2016.
He ran the Del Rey business until 1969 and then sold it to Gladding Industries. He worked for them until 1971 and then took early retirement. He went on to devote himself to his first love, Christian Missions in Central and South America, and was involved in delivering relief supplies to Guatemala in the wake of the 1976 earthquake.
A Chevrolet C20 CST With Del Rey Sky Lounge Camper for Sale
A nicely presented 1968 Chevrolet C20 CST with 1966 Del Rey Sky Lounge Camper is for sale on Bring a Trailer at time of publication.
This vehicle-camper combination has the following features:-
- 97k Miles Shown
- 396ci V8
- Three-Speed Automatic Transmission
- White & Gold Paint
- Parchment & Gold Vinyl Upholstery
- Steel Wheels w/Chrome Covers
- Heavy-Duty Suspension
- Front & Rear Receiver Hitches
- Running Boards
- Camper Mirrors
- Dual Fuel Tanks
- Three-Across Seating
- 1966 Del Rey Sky Lounge Camper
- Stove & Oven
- Shower & Toilet
- Air Conditioning & Propane Heater
- Sleeping & Sitting Areas
The vehicle and camper are finished in a gold and white livery as befits an “Of the King” combination.
The vehicle is fitted with steel 16″ front and 16.5″ rear wheels which wear Firestone Transforce HT2 235/85R16LT at the front and HT 9.50R16.5LT tires at the rear.
The C20 is also fitted with a A Saginaw power steering pump.
You can find the sale page on Bring a Trailer if you click here.
This combination looks like a rather nice vehicle with which to do some “glamping”, whether it be for a camping adventure, or attendance at a sporting event.
Picture Credits: All pictures courtesy Bring a Trailer
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
