Inside The Ringbrothers Insane 900hp Party Rv

This Ringbrothers 900HP party RV makes for the ultimate tailgater.


The Happy Camper started as a 1971 Winnebago Brave the Ringbrothers purchased at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2014. It had plaid upholstery and wood panelling at the time and was cool in its own retro way, like a portable cabin. The bad part was underneath the hood. A very worn and tired Dodge 318ci V8 had served bravely, but its time was up. The rest of the running gear was even worse.


After completely stripping the interior, Ringbrothers began fabricating a complete custom interior. They started with a gauge cluster reminiscent of a WWII bomber to go with Restoration Hardware bomber-style seats. The exterior sheet metal was showing its age, too. Therefore, several custom panels were fabricated up front. Including new headlight surrounds and dimple-died trim that fill in the gap between the body and the bumper.


Robert McGaffin photographer Brandan Gillogly writer


The first iteration of the Happy Camper used a 6.0L LS built by Wegner Automotive fed by MSD Atomic EFI and an Aeromotive Stealth fuel system. Once the engine was in place, the interior construction really got underway. This includes hardwood covering most of the floor. Except for acrylic windows on the floor as well asd the engine doghouse to show off the Flowmaster mufflers and 6.0L powerplant, respectively. The interior was then filled with everything youd ever want to find when you pulled over on a road trip. Including a bar, a couple of TVs, a barbeque grill, and even a pizza oven.


The Happy Camper participated in Power Tour 2014 and was a big hit, serving as a tailgating station at a couple of host hotels. The Wegner LS proved capable of pushing the big barn door front end of the Winnie down the highway with ease. It was flawless. Naturally, Ringbrothers wanted to improve upon its formula. If a naturally aspirated 6.0L was fun, a new supercharged Wegner Automotive 408ci LS should be a riot with nearly 900 hp.


The engine uses a Callies crank and Callies Ultra rods to withstand the boost from a Magnuson supercharger that feeds air and fuel through ported LSA heads. To cope with the additional power, the engine is coupled to a 4L80 transmission onto a Dynotec driveshaft and a Johns Industries Dana 80 rear axle with 4.11:1 gears. Ringbrothers says the new supercharged engine will get the Happy Camper from 0 to 50 mph in 3 seconds and plans to bring it on a couple of legs of Power Tour 2015. If you spot it, you may want to follow it if you can keep up.


Winnebago Man


If you need a break and want to hear a tapestry of obscenities worthy of Old Man Parker, search YouTube for Winnebago Man and watch the outtakes of RV salesman Jack Rebney. His NSFW outbursts made him such an Internet sensation that a documentary about him was created in 2009.


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