Ray Frank "Father of the Motorhome"
(RV/MH Hall of Fame Membership (directory bio))
The year was 1958. Ray Frank, the owner of a small trailer manufacturing company in Brown City, Michigan, conceived of a “house car” unlike any that had come before. A self-propelled RV made from the chassis up, it was built solely for the Frank family’s use; called a “motor-home.” And good thing he did too, his first model was so popular that after just a few family trips, Frank started looking at component suppliers to start manufacturing them on a large scale.
I mean, can you imagine calling a Class A a “house car?” I can’t. It’d be like calling an apple a grape.
Totally unique from anything that had come before it wasn’t just a converted bus or upgraded trailer, but an entirely new thing; officially beginning the transition from “house car” to “motorhome” as we know it today.
That’s a No from Dodge
Heading directly to the Dodge Division of Chrysler Corporation to enquire about a bulk purchase of bare truck chassis, Frank was rebuked and instead referred to a nearby Dodge truck dealer, Lloyd Bridges. Bridges was able to negotiate a 100 chassis contract for Frank to build his first run of motorhomes, expressly to be distributed through a franchised dealer. Bridges was also one of the first dealers to sign on to sell the motorhomes.
As production of Frank Motor Homes began, it was only as a side project to his trailer business, with 6 units built in 1960 and another 131 in 1961, which is when the name was changed from ‘Frank’ to Dodge Motor Homes; the first assembly built motorhomes.
First Looks:
For the first three years, the Fank motor home was a boxy aluminum body, with a molded fiberglass nose and tail (an industry first). In 1963, Ray’s then 18 year-old son, Ron Frank, designed and rendered the now universally recognized rounded all-fiberglass body. Demand for units accelerated, with overall production increasing to over 700 units per year. The new fiberglass bodies were available in 21- and 27-foot models that had RVers scrambling to own them.
In part, their success was not only because they were more affordable than custom units offered by other manufacturers but they were unique enough, and able to be sold by both trailer dealers and franchised vehicle dealers. By 1966/1967, it is believed that there were more Dodge motorhomes registered in the United States than all other brands of motorized RVs combined!
The first “Class A” really.
Innovative Features:
Of course, Frank couldn’t stop at just birthing the motorhome into the world, Dodge Motor Home had to provide new, unusual features to draw the public eye. These included: a couch that converted into a double bunk bed where the sofa was suspended from the ceiling with heavy straps to form the upper bunk; a double-basin stainless-steel sink; and drapes for the front windshield to provide privacy.
Sale of Frank Motor Home Corporation and the Camper Van
Frank Motorhome Corporation was sold in 1967 to PRF Industries, becoming the Travco Division of PRF, with coaches sold as Travco motorhomes or Dodge-Travco motorhomes from this point on. It would only be a few years later in 1979, where Travco Division was sold to become a part of Clarence Fore’s Foretravel Inc.
After the sale of the Dodge Motor Home operation, Frank continued in his quest of innovation and improvement in the RV industry. With consumers wanted a smaller, more compact motorhome that would be easier to drive, park, and buy, Frank developed the Xplorer: a van-chassis based motorhome.
The first Frank van campers began production in 1968 with a “fully self-contained model that could fit any standard sized residential garage.” This started the gears turning in the rest of the industry, once again confirming and establishing Ray Frank as an innovative leader in RV development with the first “Class B” motorhome.
Futurist
Frank’s design and its enduring success is responsible for the Class A motorhomes (and Class B) and today. The ever growing industry would look very different without this man, making it only fitting that he was inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 1978.
So next time you’re rolling down the highway in your RV, or see a motorhome in the lane over – remember Ray Frank: the Father of the Motorhome.
