The Endeavor is a Holiday Rambler Class A motorhome. The company, founded in 1953 and based in northern Indiana, lists it with the largest of its vehicles, the bus-like motorhomes that are built on their own chassis rather than on a truck or van.
Holiday Rambler Endeavor at a glance
| Maker | Holiday Rambler Corporation, Indiana, United States |
|---|---|
| Company founded | 1953, by Richard Klingler |
| Model type | Class A motorhome |
| Frame | large, similar to that of a bus, on its own specialised chassis |
| Length | up to 45 feet (14 m) |
| Height | up to 12.5 feet |
| Water capacity | up to 100 US gallons (380 L) |
| Fuel capacity | up to 100 US gallons (380 L) of diesel |
| Weight | up to 50,000 pounds loaded |
| Company firsts | tag axles and kitchen slide-out in motorhomes |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on Holiday Rambler, which lists the model without a separate page. The video attached to the old record no longer plays, and no free photographs of the Endeavor were found, so the article keeps the existing picture.
History of the Holiday Rambler Endeavor
A maker from the RV capital
Holiday Rambler began with Richard Klingler, who made trailer parts in a chicken coop and assembled trailers outdoors in Wakarusa, Indiana, in the 1950s. The Elkhart and Wakarusa area, ten miles south of Elkhart, had become the recreational vehicle capital of the United States after the Second World War, and the first Holiday Rambler vehicle, a travel trailer, was shown to the public in 1953 by the Klingler Corporation. A restored example of that trailer is in the RV museum in Elkhart. In 1961 the firm introduced aluminium body framing, known as Alumaframe, and this construction became the standard for lighter and stronger recreational vehicles for the next forty years.
What a Class A motorhome is
Holiday Rambler builds motorhomes, which travel on their own power, and towables, which are pulled by another vehicle; all of them have toilets and facilities for cooking and sleeping. The Endeavor belongs to the Class A list, alongside the Traveler, Navigator, Imperial, Scepter, Ambassador, Neptune, Vacationer, Admiral, Arista, Aluma-Lite, Trip, Limited, Invicta and Armada. A Class A motorhome has a large frame similar to a bus and is built on its own specialised chassis; such vehicles can be 45 feet (14 m) long and 12.5 feet high, carry as much as 100 US gallons (380 L) of water and 100 US gallons of diesel, and weigh up to 50,000 pounds fully loaded. The same class description notes that Holiday Rambler was first with tag axles in motorhomes and that its kitchen slide-out changed interior engineering in the field, while built-in refrigerators, holding tanks and aerodynamic radiused corners were earlier firsts of the company.
Owners and the end of the video
Harley-Davidson acquired Holiday Rambler in December 1986; its RV division competed mostly in the mid to premium segment of the market. On 4 March 1996 the Monaco Coach Corporation of Oregon bought the assets from Harley-Davidson for $21.5 million in cash, redeemable preferred stock later converted into common stock, and the assumption of most liabilities, plus ten Holiday World dealerships for $13.0 million. In June 2009, after the Monaco Coach Corporation moved from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 bankruptcy, its factories, inventory, brands and intellectual property were sold to Navistar International for $47 million. In May 2013 Navistar sold Holiday Rambler to Allied Specialty Vehicles. The founder, Richard Klingler, died on 16 August 2024 at the age of 97.
Design and features
- Class A motorhome: a bus-like body on a purpose-built chassis, rather than a converted truck or van.
- Large capacities: up to 100 US gallons of fresh water and the same of diesel, with a loaded weight of up to 50,000 pounds.
- Aluminium-framed background: the maker’s Alumaframe construction of 1961 was used as a standard for four decades.
- Motorhome innovation: the company was first with tag axles and with a kitchen slide-out.
Holiday Rambler Endeavor versions
- Endeavor: the Class A motorhome itself, listed with the largest Holiday Rambler vehicles.
- Range companions: the same class includes the Navigator, Imperial, Scepter, Ambassador, Neptune, Vacationer and Admiral.
Other Class A names in the catalogue are the Holiday Rambler Imperial and the Holiday Rambler Vacationer. More vehicles are in the Holiday Rambler collection.
Sources
- Holiday Rambler, English Wikipedia: company history, model lists, class descriptions, ownership
