Overlanders are a unique bunch of people. They want it all, especially when they’re our traveling for extended periods of time with a partner…. It seems like I’ve been searching forever to find my perfect long distance overland vehicle, it seems just getting the vehicle would be more difficult than the adventures we planned to take it on. Between Persephone and myself– we had a long list of needs, we desired a 4WD, reliable, economical, vehicle that still had a shower and a toilet; something I learned that I wanted after thousands of miles in my Land Cruiser 70-series. Finding a vehicle that met our budget, our list of needs, and accomadated as many items from our wish list as possible has left us searching the internet many nights with no success, until now.
We know you’re curious, what exactly does our wish list include:
- 4×4
- Reliable
- Manual
- Diesel
- Space for 4 people
- Serviceable everywhere in the world
- 2 double beds
- Heat and A/C
- Shower/Toilet
- and more
Very few vehicles on the entire planet can claim to meet all these requirements. However, there is one that stands out… and that’s the one we want! Meet the Westfalia James Cook Sprinter 4×4.
In the USA, Westfalia is mostly known for the Volkswagen Vanagon conversion. In Europe, however, Westfalia has been doing after market conversions on various platforms and the Sprinter James Cook is one of their most elaborate creations.
This model was available in the USA through Winnebago in 2005 and we are told only 250 were imported.
Some German owners have pushed the limits further and have used a 4×4 Sprinter for this camper conversion, which in my opinion, makes it one of the most desireable overlander vehicles on the planet.
If you really want to be picky, you could argue that the look of this huge top is questionable, and the chance of fitting it into a container is nill.
The height would certainly affect its off-road capacity in some circumstances, but the comfort provided would offset this quickly, especially if you are considering going through Europe and other developed countries on your journey.
This one was for sale in Germany and unfortunately it just slipped through our fingers; otherwise it would have been the replacement for our Syncro we just lost.
Westfalia James Cook Sprinter 4×4 on Mobile.DE
You can learn more about the James Cook conversion on the Westfalia home page:
http://www.westfalia-mobil.net/en/modelle/james-cook/james-cook.php
And you can see a bit more about these 4x4s here:
http://www.jamesx4.de/gallerie.html
Here are some videos that highlight the features of the James Cook campers: