zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict
This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:22

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

One of the weirdest things you can do to a car is bolt the fuselage of a plane to it. (I am always saying this.—ED) This 1979 Fleetwood Pace Arrow motorhome wears the body of a Convair CV-240, but that’s only the beginning. It was also built in-part by a fugitive on the run.

A reader originally sent me the ad for this thing about a month ago. Back then, the ad only had three small pictures and not a whole lot of information. I asked the seller for more details, but hours later. Now, it’s back, and glorious pictures. Buckle up because this flight may get a little turbulent.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

The ad says that it’s called Andromeda and it has quite the origin story. According to the , the Andromeda was built in the 1980s in Isla Vista, California, by friends Tony Tosta and Jason Von Straussenburg. The Andromeda name comes from the Ethiopian princess of Greek mythology, which is fitting for a project like this.

The Independent article also mentions that Straussenberg had a secret. The name Straussenberg was merely one of four pseudonyms and his real name is Roger Lee Crona.

Why did Crona have a made-up name? In 1972 he went to prison in Michigan for forging license plates and registrations. He then escaped the prison in the same year by simply walking off of the property. He made his way to California with a new identity.

At some point, he and Tony started with a retired Convair CV-240, removed its undercarriage, bolted it up to an unnamed heavy duty truck chassis and filled it up with parts from a 1979 Fleetwood Pace Arrow RV.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

It’s noted as having an International diesel engine, but it’s not said which. It’s also registered as the Pace Arrow that donated its guts for the project. But the madness of this build didn’t just stop at combining three vehicles into one.

The front of the RV features an intact flight deck and yep, it can be driven from both sides.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

The RV appears to have its acceleration and braking tied to the pedals that would normally operate the aircraft’s rudder. It’s unclear what indicators and gauges still work, if any, but it would be cool if some of the original instruments were adapted to the plane’s road-based new life.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

Aft of the cockpit are bunk beds and an open area with a big sound system. But this is more than a small space to break out your best dance moves.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

Hidden under the floor is a hot tub! This rock star RV is built to party.

According to Santa Barbara Independent, Crona and Tosta actually filled the hot tub using a fire hydrant.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

If you’re wondering how well a filled hot tub does on the road, it doesn’t, from Santa Barbara Independent:

“We stepped on the brakes, and an eight-inch tsunami flowed over,” Tony laughed.

Continue walking back from the hot tub and you’ll see a full RV kitchen, complete with oven, microwave and a fancy dining area.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

The rig wraps up with a bathroom and an epic berth hanging off of the back. The person sleeping in this area gets a roof that opens up so they can sleep under the stars.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

Crona and Tosta remained great friends over the years, enjoying shenanigans involving the Andromeda. According to Santa Barbara Independent, Toad the Wet Sprocket used the RV as a relaxation space in the 1990s when they played in Santa Barbara.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

Unfortunately, the fun didn’t last forever as Crona was found and arrested in the summer of 2008. He was released in December, but his health was failing and he died in 2009, reports .

This is where I’d normally say that there aren’t any other vehicles like this, but the Andromeda was actually one of four aircraft-based ground vehicles in California built at around the same time. Another was the Douglas DC-3 turned dressed up like a Space Shuttle.

The Andromeda has fallen into a sad state in recent years. Its exterior is looking a little worse for wear and while the interior is a great time capsule it’s rough in places.

Image for article titled This Baffling Airplane RV Was Built By An Escaped Convict

That hasn’t stopped it from showing up in and now for the much lower price of $. Each time it comes up for sale it’s in a little worse condition. The seller says that it’ll do 65 mph on the highway and has everything you need to camp off of the grid, but it’s unknown just how much work it’ll take to get it there. I don’t care, I’d daily drive this thing!

H/T - Mark and !

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Blip: Wonder Why I Picked The Vega Today?
Blip: Wonder Why I Picked The Vega Today?
For some reason, I was thinking about things America might be ashamed of, so, of course, the legendary Chevy Vega came to mind. Man, I wonder why? ...
May 5, 2025
What's The Most Impractical Car You've Ever Daily Driven?
What's The Most Impractical Car You've Ever Daily Driven?
Ordinarily, it’s best practice to buy a car that fits into your life, not one that you have to rearrange your life to make fit. Sometimes, though, things don’t work out that way. Sometimes, your love for a car is so deep and so profound, you’re willing to inconvenience...
May 5, 2025
Take A Virtual Drive Through Major World Cities While Jamming To Local Radio
Take A Virtual Drive Through Major World Cities While Jamming To Local Radio
Driving fewer miles and working from home has become the new normal for so many people during the pandemic. If you miss the sights and sounds of a morning commute as much as I do, then Erkam Şeker has just the app for you. is an impressively chill way...
May 5, 2025
So, Hey, How About Those Cars?
So, Hey, How About Those Cars?
So, yeah, cars, man, I love ‘em! Skodas and Triumphs and Tatras and Nissans and Coneys and Messerschmitts and oh man what the fuck is going on. No one is reading about cars now. Feel free to go bonkers in the comments with your Jalopnik car-community pals, if you...
May 5, 2025
Firestone's Web Designers Don't Seem To Have Ever Driven A Manual Transmission
Firestone's Web Designers Don't Seem To Have Ever Driven A Manual Transmission
Remember a couple of years ago, , and ended up with something that just permanently demonstrated they had never actually driven anything with a manual transmission? That was pretty embarrassing, but, you know, at least that guy wasn’t a huge nationwide chain of auto repair shops, because, man, if...
May 5, 2025
The Auto Industry Was As Horrified As Everyone Else
The Auto Industry Was As Horrified As Everyone Else
Yesterday was bad, Elon Musk might soon be the richest man in the world on paper, and rhodium. All that and more in for January 7, 2021. I would say that yesterday was one of the dumbest days in American history, but everyone has already said that. That’s too...
May 5, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved