LeSharo musings

[Timber Wolf]

Yes, I know this is a molded towables forum, but bear with me and I will tie it in.. I came upon a Winny LeSharo motor home today slowly but relentlessly sinking into the ground out behind a house. No one was home, but I was supposed to be there (on other legit business) and had time so I gave in to my curiosity and checked it out. It was pretty cool. It looked nice and appeared to be well laid out and constructed.

This particular unit was dirty, like sitting in the backyard for a long time dirty, but otherwise not noticeably damaged. It had six, yes six, windows (three per side) with "88", and "3,000" and a phone number painted on them. I don't know where they had it parked before but bet they don't get many buyers with it in the backyard. The doors were unlocked so I peeked inside and was interested to see that it had similar interior space to that of my Scamp 16. It was clean and dry inside and looked plum cozy. The slide out, expandable bathroom* was a cool feature. I could see a couple or young family who wanted a smallish MH really enjoying something like this, too bad it was built with such a sorry drivetrain.

Driving away I was struck by the fact that a 1988 Scamp 16 in similar condition would be snapped up QUICK for $3K, but the LeSharo apparently had no takers so there it sits, unloved, awaiting nature to reclaim it.

*The floor has a removable panel that reveals a shower pan underneath. I did not do it, but in use apparently the bathroom walls slide out into the "hall" to form a larger bathroom. Somebody at Winnebago had their thinking cap on when they designed this.

[Jon in AZ]

Which chassis was it on? I vaguely recall early units were on a Chrysler/Renault platform and later units on a VW Eurovan chassis. A friend's parents had one of the former, and it was, as you might expect, a dog that spent a lot of time at the vet. My friend's father liked to tinker (his other vehicle was a Camry diesel, if I recall correctly), so it was a good match.

I saw the inside and I agree it incorporated clever design and use of space. Like Scamp it had a dropped center aisle for stand-up headroom with a low exterior profile.

The reason a Scamp is worth a lot more is you can have a lightweight, compact coach together with modern, reliable motive power.

[floyd]

The LeSharo was Renault front drive, the VW version was called Rialta.
There was a time when you could find a LeSharo behind every gas station and mechanic shop along the highway, broke down and available for a few hundred dollars. I considered buying one and grafting a Taurus under the front end. By the time I found the time and went looking again.... they were gone.

[Jon in AZ]

You're right, Floyd. It's coming back to me now…

And now you know where to find one… at $3K it should languish there a while longer.

[Roger H]

The LeSharo was the motorhome that brought new meaning to the words "Mechanic's Special." That's an interesting thought about dropping a Taurus drivetrain into one. That might actually make it a useful vehicle!

The Rialtas were interesting too... too small and under-powered to be as useful as a class "C" motorhome, and too large to be as useful as a class "B."

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Roger H

...too small and under-powered to be as useful as a class "C" motorhome, and too large to be as useful as a class "B."

Perhaps for a few the middle spot is, Goldilocks fashion, "just right."

Not sure, but at least with the LeSharo, I believe garageability was a design parameter, something even fixed roof class Bs lack. That's what drove the choice of a front-drive chassis, allowing for a dropped floor in the coach.

With the right chassis and drivetrain, the concept might have gained some traction. But the reality is that, like small egg trailers, it's a niche market. Most buyers would rather have more space and horsepower for their RV dollar. Class Cs outsell class Bs many times over.

[Roger H]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Most buyers would rather have more space and horsepower for their RV dollar.

It was interesting because at 22' the Rialta was too long to be parked in a standard garage and too wide to be comfortably parked in a "normal" parking spot, but doesn't have enough tow capacity for a "toad." It was truly a 'tweener."

I actually have both a Super-C and a B-van. I use the B-van more as a daily driver and for hauling the dogs and 'stuff' as needed, and for day trips as well as the occasional solo traveling. The super-C is our RV.

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... When I started looking RV's the Wini. LaSharo and later the Wini. Rialta were very intriguing. When push came to shove I liked the 2pc. aspect of the trailer. In the end the fifth wheel won hands down as it tows like a one pc. unit, with a changeable power unit. It's not my fault that Escape Trailer Ind. made a new tandem axle 5.0TA though they did ask my opinion on it.
We have folks coming to look at ours today!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[cchandka]

I have always lusted after the LeSharo and have seen several in similar condition to your description. If I ever found one that was not abandoned/stored and maybe had a larger engine installed I would be really tempted. What a nice idea .... similar models are becoming very popular in UK, but a bit higher profile and quite pricey.