Big Bird

[olycondor]

???Our search started just after Christmas while holidaying at our friend’s beach house at Mudjimba. We were heading for the beach and spied an Olympic in a driveway, it was not for sale but the owners did give us a lead on a Debonair at Kilkivan, so the next day we made the trip and brought the tired old girl home and have already started on the cleanup. While we were driving back to base and discussing with my wife all the things were going to do to the Debonair I vaguely remembered an old glass van I had seen some 4 years ago on a property being used as a guests bedroom, so after unloading we headed off to the farm and approached the owners about selling their visitors accommodation, it was for sale, we had a look over the van, we had never seen anything like this before, it looked interesting, a price was struck and we towed her home, and she towed very well. I have since been talking to Bob Taylor about the van, Bob tells me that it is called an Olympic Condor and he only knows of 2 other vans, I’m not sure yet if that’s a good thing or not! We will be letting Big Bird sit in the shed for a while until we have restored the Debonair ready to travel in October for the Bathurst V8’s. So we would be very grateful for any information or suggestions for either van. We will post photos of the Debonair soon and keep you posted on Big Bird. Cheers Pete & Val

[hilldweller]

wow what an unusual looking van! Love the torches and the round hatches. Will look forward to more pics in due course.

[atouchofglass]

Hey Pete and Val

Welcome aboard ;D

Definitely one of the more unusual vans Olympic made.
Have only seen one other in photos of the Olympic factory.

Nice to see they were going to the door opening from the back.
Look forward to the restoration photos

Cheers
Atog

[halps]

Welcome Pete & Val,
What an interesting van. I can give you absolutely no information on your van, but I drove past Tony Cutts' place (sticker on window). He is on the Warrego H'way on the way to Toowoomba. He is just outside Ipswich at Blacksoil.
Best of Luck and keep those pictures coming as you add your touches...
HALPS

[boblor]

Hi All
We welcome Pete and Val into the Olympic family and to Vitage caravanning. Olympics just keep turning up, this one is special as it may well be the only one manufactured, first Olympic price list it appeared on is dated 1/4/'87, but Glass's Caravan Guide spring/summer edition 1985-'86, mentions it for 1983 POA.
This paricular vans chassis no. 82 8 337W PK (August 1982 chas.no 337 white for caravan park) . This chassis no. just fits in amoust other Olympic models, eg 334 21' Stardust,335 Contessa, 338 Debonair, 339 Debonair and 343 is sheduled to call to Olympic HQ tomorrow morning a Riviera.
So there is a little bit of Olympic history for you. Also I should mention that Condor is further development of Tony Pusterla's Series 2000 van featured in Caravan World Magazine in the months of Nov. and Dec. 1978. Olympic obvously obtained the molds and proceeded to modify the van in many ways, as there is currently another version sitting at the factory with a raised roof section with window type vents in this raised section and the enry doorjust back from the front on the side like a Riviera.
The series 2000 had sliding glass door at the rear parting in the middle and a fibreglass door/awning covering the whole rear section (lid).
As some of you would know Tony Pusterla developed the Murrumba Star, --MiniStar, LindaStar and Linda Walkabout, the first two featured in Australian Motor Manual June 1968.
There that enough for now.
Cheers boblor