What is this and who wants to buy it?

[CindyL]

We passed this camper for sale in Florida today. It was on Highway 19/98 in Old Town Florida on the right side of the highway as you travel north. Here are the pictures Kevin took. It has a kind of toy-hauler back door that said "A Touch of Class" in the fiberglass.

CindyL

[Mike Magee]

It's an Apeco! Did they have a price posted on it?

[Bob Miller]

We have seen those in the past year or two so it will get recognized. The back door drops down and a tent opens to make an additional room I believe.

[Donna D.]

We've had two members that owned Apeco's, unfortunately they haven't been around for a while.

[Pam Garlow]

For some reason, I cannot open these files.
They show as bmp but will not open.
Web identifies them as windows php files (but still won't open them)

[CindyL]

I knew I had seen it before, but my search was not successful. Mike, if they had a price on it, hubby was not able to read it. Very smudged sign. It appeared like it had been there a long time.

CindyL

[CindyL]

Pam, I would rather mess with Facebook, if you want to see them. It took me hours of our drive home to get these posted, resizing and resizing and trying all different kinds of formats. I was ready to give up!

Cindy

[Bob Miller]

Here's a tiny bit of Hx about APECO aka American Photocopy Equipment Company


In 1968 Apeco began diversifying through acquisitions that eventually transformed the company into a conglomerate. Apeco entered the marine products industry in 1968 by buying Magnum Marine Corp. of Miami, Florida, and then later in the same year adding Bosworth Marine Corp., a St. Petersburg houseboat manufacturer. These marine division sales accounted for about $10 million by the end of 1968. In 1969 it purchased Iola Molded Plastics, a maker of popular-priced boats and Newport Homes, a maker of mobile homes, for $7.5 million. In 1970 it purchased Cavalier Industries, a maker of travel trailers and truck campers.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Pam Garlow

For some reason, I cannot open these files.
They show as bmp but will not open.
Web identifies them as windows php files (but still won't open them)

They open in Preview on my MacBook Air.

[Mike Magee]

I have to wonder about the people who chose the name, and why they didn't consider the implications of their acronym "Apeco". Ape Company? No wonder they're out of business.

It's almost as bad as another (very small) company I had business dealings with in the late '80s, called American Steel & Silo Co. As the acronym appeared, molded into their sprockets, "ASSCO".

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Pam Garlow

For some reason, I cannot open these files.
They show as bmp but will not open.
Web identifies them as windows php files (but still won't open them)

I was able to open them as a "Paint" file in WIN8.

[Bob Miller]

I don't think that the name hurt as much as did changing technology. In the 50's they were state-of-the art, by the 70's their technology was obsolete and they diversified, poorly. Here's a synopsis:
American Photocopy Equipment Company - Lehman Brothers Collection

[gordon2]

OP's photos for the software impaired

[Bob Miller]

One More Ape'


And it didn't do so bad for Piaggio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_Ape

[David Tilston]

A valve manufacture Pisco
Pneumatic Valves | Pisco Pneumatic Equipment

I would love to see an Apeco restored.

I pronounce it ah pec oh.

[Bob Miller]

Ape' (ah-pay) is Italian for Bee. so APECO might be Ah-Pay-Co

[Burro Bill]

Interesting but not my style. It looks clunky to me.
Did the back open so you could put on of their scooters in?

[Donna D.]

Star Trek Galileo, I think it's perfect

[Uplander]

Always interesting stuff on this site.
The history of the RV industry is loaded with failures.

[Burro Bill]

Thanks Donna. Now that I know it can do intergalactic exploration
I like it better! Lol