OSHKOSH Expedition Class AWD Motorhome

It's an expedition-class AWD motorhome. Shahn Torontow built the vehicle so his wife V.Ross Johnson and could still travel the wilderness after the former wildlife photographer became wheelchair dependent. A gift of love for his wife, he began with an OSHKOSH M1000 ARFF (AIRPORT FIRE RESCUE) and then spent thousands of hours crafting an extraordinary vehicle that offers complete luxury almost anywhere .

The military-grade vehicle has been lavished with the finest so he could withstand deserts, mountains, mud, hurricanes and blizzards while caring for his wife. It contains a shower, sauna, auxiliary heat systems and heat gain/loss protective window shutters, CCD surveillance system, GPS, broad band satellite links for computer communications and an elevator. ... and it's for sale.

Shahn Torontow built the vehicle so his wife V.Ross Johnson, a pilot, wild life photographer and world traveller became wheelchair bound due to chronic Lyme disease.

"We were missing travel, so I embarked on building a 4WD motor home to take us to remote areas of Canada and United States for photography expeditions as a distraction from her debilitating illness, said Shahn.

"Ross has many side effects so the vehicle incorporates a number of special items; misting shower with seven nozzles, a sauna, auxiliary heat systems and heat gain/loss protective window shutters, CCD surveillance system, GPS with voice prompting, broad band satellite links for computer communications and last but not least an elevator. "

Named Draco "after the star constellation and the mythical last dragon", the Oshkosh-based luxury bohemoth is for sale due to "a down turn in Ross' health and her inability to travel."

Since Draco was completed in July 2002 it has travelled 80,000 kilometres of varying terrain, and became one of the many celebrity visitors at innovation and experimental technology get-togethers such as "the EAA ( Experimental Air Association) show in Wisconsin, the Oshkosh Truck Corporation facility, mud drag competitions, the DARPA Grand Challenge, wild cat and bird sanctuaries and desert, mountain and snow country."

Draco has seen it all. "With the outriggers down we have waited out two borderline hurricanes and a blizzard that blew over tractor trailers," says Shahn.

The vehicle took 3000 man-hours to build with Shahn working ten hours per day. "The amount of money we spent does not relate to any one aspect,"said Shahn.

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