Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 10:31:32 -0600
Reply-To: Blue Eyes <lvlearn@MCI2000.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Blue Eyes <lvlearn@MCI2000.COM>
Organization: Vexation Computer
Subject: Re: Vixen
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Gary,
You wrote:
Does anyone remember the Vixen camper? Only a limited number were built in
the MidWest. One was a van only conversion, the others had the "pop tops".
Sort of looked like a vanagon. One model had a BMW diesel engine. If anyone
has book marked the Vixen page please post the address so that we can take
another look.
I nearly bought one from the dealer in Cedar Rapids Iowa before Vixen went
bankrupt. What would you like to know about them? As a diesel nut, I was
only interested in the TD model, and this motor was sold in the US in only 3
vehicle lines, the BMWs naturally, Lincoln Continental and Marks in 1983 and
1984, and the Vixens.
You wrongly called it a van conversion. It absolutely was NOT a conversion.
It was designed from the very beginning as a fast fuel efficient motorhome.
The later models with the GM gas motor and the non-motorhome interior were the
derivations. A friend of mine, Don Sherman who was then with Car & Driver
Magazine tested one, and if you found a library with all the old C&D back
issues, you could read that test.
The Vixen was a genuine clean sheet design, and it had a .30 coefficient of
drag developed through wind tunel testing and modifications, which was why at
55 mph, despite its 21 foot length and about 4900 pound weight, it could get
30.55 miles per gallon with that diesel. That claim was derived from
independent testing performed by a certified testing corporation. That Cedar
Rapids, Iowa dealer still makes a used market in Vixens, and if you look at
the Auto Trader magazines nation wide, you'll find their advertisements
regularly. I've looked at several used Vixens in Florida, and they are never
sold for as little as their "book price" shown in the Recreational Vehicle
Used Price Guide. If you ever elect to own one, be prepared to perform lots
of little corrective measures as the normal fine tuning of the design was
incomplete because of the low production numbers. Most mechanical parts were
adopted from other major manufacturers, so parts are generally available for
wearing items. Even with the 114 hp. BMW TD, the top speed was slightly over
100 mph! I know of no other vehicle that even approached it in terms of basic
design excellence for an efficient compact class A RV. The Westy aims in that
direction, but isn't nearly as efficient. Somewhere I still have the original
color advertisement. The dealer offered me his demo vehicle for his cost and
showed me his invoice on it. It had about 14,000 miles on it and was over a
year old, so I passed, thinking I'd pick up a used one. A few years ago,
since he was the most active dealer Vixen had, I paid the Iowa Department of
Transportation about $37 for their computer time to research and print out a
list of all Vixens registered in the state of Iowa. There were something like
15 to 20, but I never chased it. I don't know of a Vixen I-net site, but one
of the Vixen owners to whom I talked in Florida said there was a loosely
formed club of Vixen owners.
All the best to you,
John
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