Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-04-2016, 12:22 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 468
Not an SMB, but this guy has the spirit

I was perusing 500px.com (a photo site) tonight and came across this beast and thought it was interesting. 500px won't allow easy linking to photos, so you have to go to the page:

Stefan Forster on 500px.com

Basically, it's a Toyota HiLux (Tacoma) with a custom camper in place of the bed. He says about it:

Being a photographer means being on the road the biggest part of the life. After years of saving money I designed a rolling home for a photographer which brings me to places where common campers can't. Say hello to my new rolling basecamp - the Hilux Expedition. This summer I'll bring him to Iceland for 2 month and in 2017 to Australia and Tasmania for 6 month.
225 Hp
3.0l Diesel
240l Diesel tank
45cm ground clearance
3 locking differentials
Kitchen
Shower with hot water
Diesel Glycol heating
Toilet
1.55x2.00m bed
4000W 230V on board power
1.5qm solarpanel
1.6m fording
39'000 lumes light power in the front

He then posts a link to his site for more info, but it's all in German. Anybody around here know German better than Google Translate does?

Toyota Hilux Expedition V1 | stefanforster.com Plenty of pictures, though.

My "holy crap" thoughts:
- Using my flawed head math, his 240 liter diesel tank holds about 54 gallons or so.
- 225hp out of a 3.0 diesel. My 6.0 is rated at 235hp. Can I do an engine swap and quit worrying about oil cooler issues?
- 3 locking diffs? I don't even have ONE!
...I could go on...

__________________
DesertBoat ...has been SOLD. Sad to have seen it go.
photographix is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2016, 03:01 AM   #2
JWA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Posts: 3,765
Send a message via Yahoo to JWA
Interesting vehicle for sure-----one of us should contact Stefan directly to see if an English version exists? I'm pretty certain he'd be flattered we're curious about his creation.
JWA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2016, 08:23 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
accrete's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The Sunny Southwest, USA
Posts: 427
Todd, thx for the link/article share.
Also enjoyed taking a look at your images at site.

: ) Thom
__________________
Greetings from the Sunny Southwest, USA
2017 RAM Promaster Conversion. SOLD: 2010 Chevy Express AWD
Van Build Thread @ SMBForums
accrete is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2016, 10:14 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 468
Quote:
Originally Posted by accrete View Post
Todd, thx for the link/article share.
Also enjoyed taking a look at your images at site.

: ) Thom
Thanks, Thom!

EDIT: Okay, I just wrote a note to Stefan in both English and Google Translate German. I asked if there was an English version of his site, if the camper was a one-off or mass-produced, and if he had any pictures of the interior.

I got an automated reply seconds later saying "Your mail will be answered as fast as possible." He apparently lives or works in a town called Wil, Switzerland, which is east of Zurich, near the German border.

We'll see what happens....
__________________
DesertBoat ...has been SOLD. Sad to have seen it go.
photographix is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2016, 05:29 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
BrianW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 4,198
Looks like it has 225 PS, which is a German version of HP (PS stands for Pferdestärke, or literally "Horse Strength"). PS does not directly correlate to HP, although it's close. An online conversion puts it around 222 HP.
BrianW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2016, 10:55 AM   #6
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 26
There was a thread in "buschtaxi forum about a possible South-America trip of Stefan with his Hilux. Due to the Euro5 engine he finally decided to go to Australia. A nice car, but maybe not the right one for an overland trip in regions without a dealer network/ scan tools. (His Hilux may also look to expensive/ new )
The cabin was designed and built by an Austrian company: geocar - die Pickup Wohnkabine für alle Pickup Fahrzeuge

Buschtaxi.net • Südamerikareise mit High-Tech Hilux Camper

BR
Chris
LandyChris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2016, 12:10 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 468
Just got a response from Stefan. By the way, his photos are out-of-this-world fantastic.

Dear Todd

Thank you very much for your interest of my Hilux ;-) You can’t buy it like this - it’s a special production from 3 different countries. Cost: 188’000 USD like on the photo. I’ll translate the site in englisch within the next weeks, so you guys can read it ;-)

Here I’ve some videos in action:

Best Regards from Switzerland

Stefan

Stefan Forster, Fotograf SBF
Natur- und Landschaftsfotografie INT
www.stefanforster.com

photocube.ch gmbh
Kurszentrum für Fotografie & Fotoreisen
Hubstrasse 60
9500 Wil
__________________
DesertBoat ...has been SOLD. Sad to have seen it go.
photographix is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2016, 04:13 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
BrianW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 4,198
Well that make a full-kit SMB look like a bargain then, doesn't it?
BrianW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2016, 10:25 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 468
I went to the Swiss Toyota site (de.toyota.ch) and configured a Hilux similar to what he has going by the pictures of his and what he said about it.

Just the truck alone comes to Fr. 45'520.00, which converts to USD $46805. So $142,000 for the camper plus the wheels, tires, winches, skids, and all the other added 4x4 bits.

I'd like to see the inside of the camper.
__________________
DesertBoat ...has been SOLD. Sad to have seen it go.
photographix is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2016, 11:54 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 468
Stefan sent me some pictures of the inside of his Hilux Expedition camper. He didn't provide any explanation of them.

(While trying to sort the pictures into a separate album on this site, I managed to delete all my pictures. It was a user error problem, but the picture functionality of this site leaves a lot to be desired. And linking just these 8 pictures to a post is an unbelievably tedious process. )















__________________
DesertBoat ...has been SOLD. Sad to have seen it go.
photographix is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.