Rare 1968 Chevy C20 Longhorn Spits Hot Fire, Literally Speaking
Cool 1968 Chevy C20 Longhorn is one of less than 2,000 built and will cook your meals for you.
It isn’t every day we come across a 1968 Chevy C20 Longhorn, mainly because only 1,920 of them were ever built. The heavier-duty pickup was specifically designed to haul in-bed campers and do tough work on the farm, hence the Longhorn name, but we’d wager that none of that small lot are as wild as this particular example up for grabs at Bring a Trailer. That’s mainly because this one shoots flames out of the skull located on the front grille, a nifty party trick if we’ve ever seen one.
There’s no telling what prompted the owner of this particular 1968 Chevy C20 Longhorn to mount a liquid propane torch and a C02 sprayer to the skull so that it can quite literally engulf anything in front of it in flames, but we doubt it was the fact that they got tired of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. More likely, it’s just for show or perhaps even roasting some hot dogs or making s’mores. Even better, the dual exhaust tips out back are also plumbed with propane, so this truck can light ’em up in both directions.
Other than that nifty party trick, this C20 is in very nice condition after undergoing a refurbishment back in 2012. The white and teal exterior remains in great shape, and it’s fitted with a 1968 Franklin 11FK6 camper that has also been refurbished inside and out. During that process, the camper was extended by six inches to fit the truck’s 8.5-foot bed, though it retains its vintage look inside. There are plenty of amenities present, however, including a dining area, kitchen, bathroom with toilet and shower, and a pair of beds to boot.
Underneath, a Scranton Manufacturing rear “cheetah” axle and Firestone Ride-Rite rear air springs help support the weight of the camper, while the truck itself has power steering and four-wheel drum brakes. The big rig is powered by GM’s 396 cubic-inch L66 V8 that has been rebuilt and tweaked a bit with an RV cam and Holley carb, and it sends power to the rear wheels via a New Process 435 four-speed manual transmission and a Dana 60 rear fitted with 3.54:1 gears.
Even if we ignore the fact that this 1968 C20 Longhorn can spit hot fire, it’s still a pretty awesome camping rig that we’d love to have on our next excursion across the country. After all, modern campers just can’t compare to this cool vintage ride, which instantly transports us back to a different time – or conveniently cooks our meals for us.
Photos: Bring a Trailer
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