This Ford E-350 “Sportsmobile” 4×4 belonged to legendary American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett from when it was new in 2004 right the way through to 2020. It was outfitted as an overlanding camper by Sportsmobile under his ownership.
During its conversion it also received a full four wheel drive system and a suspension lift, making it far more off-road capable than the original rear-wheel drive E-350, and much better suited to exploring off the beaten track.
Fast Facts – Jimmy Buffett’s Ford E-350 “Sportsmobile”
- This Ford E-350, purchased new by renowned singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett in 2004, was owned by him until 2020. Under his ownership, it was converted into an overlanding camper by Sportsmobile, and it would be one of three in his collection. It’s powered by a 6.0 liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V8 mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission, and it has a four-wheel drive conversion.
- Founded in 1961 by brothers Curtis and Charles Borskey in El Paso, Texas, Sportsmobile became one of the first professional camper van conversion companies in the U.S. The company gained prominence after Volkswagen of America and later Ford contracted them to outfit vans. Sportsmobile continued to grow, eventually having plants in Indiana, Texas, and California, and remains a significant player in the van-based RV industry.
- The well-equipped living space in the rear of Buffett’s Sportsmobile includes a sink with running water, ample counter and cupboard space, a Norcold refrigerator, a microwave, a butane stove, a power-operated ceiling vent, and residential-style power outlets. It also offers sleeping space for two, with additional space available if needed, and external features like a Fiamma awning, Aluminess bumpers, side ladders, Yakima roof bars, an ARB air compressor, a rear shower, and AMP Research retractable running boards.
- The vehicle is now listed for sale on Bring a Trailer by its current owner in Denver, Colorado, who purchased it directly from Buffett in 2020. It has 69,000 miles on the odometer and includes service records, spare parts, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Colorado title.
The Incredible Story Of Sportsmobile
Sportsmobile was founded all the way back in 1961 by brothers Curtis and Charles Borskey, initially working out of El Paso, Texas. They were one of the first truly professional camper van conversion companies in the United States, and remarkably they’re still operating today, now with locations across the country.
This 4×4 Ford E-350 Sportsmobile is incredibly well equipped, and would be ideal for couples or singles who want to go on prolonged off-grid adventures.
Shortly after the first Sportsmobile designs went on sale the company received a phone call from Volkswagen of America enquiring about sub-contracting them to fit out Volkswagen Type 2 vans as campers, which would then be sold through VW dealerships around the USA.
These early VW Sportsmobile conversions proved popular, so popular in fact that Ford sat up and took notice. Just a year later Sportsmobile had been contracted by Ford to work out of their Lorain, Michigan plant installing camper kits in brand new Ford vans for sale though Ford dealerships.
As the 1960s progressed Volkswagen of America would end their contract with Sportsmobile, but undeterred the company simply began building selling converted Type 2 Vans directly to Volkswagen distributors, cutting out Volkswagen of America altogether.
The company continued to expand throughout the 1960s and 1970s, as the van movement picked up steam and evolved from the Hippie Movement of the 1960s, into the more airbrushed-shag-carpeted custom van world of the 1970s.
By 1989 Sportsmobile would have plants in Huntington, Indiana, in Austin, Texas, and in Fresno, California. They had become one of the largest van-based RV companies in the nation, and they still enjoy this accolade today over 25 years later.
The Ex-Jimmy Buffett Ford “Sportsmobile” Shown Here
The vehicle you see here was bought new by Jimmy Buffett, an American singer-songwriter known across the country and around the world for songs like Margaritaville, It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, Knee Deep, Come Monday, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and many others.
Above Video: This is an episode of ” The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” features Jimmy Buffett singing both “Margaritaville” and “Stars Fell On Alabama,” as well an interview with him talking to Carson. It originally aired on the 5th of May, 1981.
Buffett was also a talented entrepreneur, he started a successful restaurant chain Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, he started his own label called Margaritaville Records, he partnered with Anheuser-Busch to create Landshark Lager, and he launched the Latitude Margaritaville retirement homes which have now become a multi-billion dollar phenomenon.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Buffett would become a lifelong friend of Warren Buffett and a shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. The two men became so close they jokingly called each other “Cousin Jimmy” and “Uncle Warren.”
What a lot of people didn’t know about Buffett is that he had deep and abiding love for camper vans, specifically for camper vans made by Sportsmobile, and at one point he would own no fewer than three of them.
The Sportsmobile you see here is based on a 2004 Ford E-350 van, it’s had the full four-wheel drive conversion done as well as a suspension upgrade to improve ground clearance, and it’s been fitted out by Sportsmobile with a well equipped living space in the rear.
Power is now provided by a 6.0 liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V8 which has been fitted with an FASS fuel pump, a Wicked Wheel turbo impeller, and a revised camshaft. Power is sent back though a 4-speed automatic transmission and a dual-range transfer case to either all four wheels or the rear wheels only.
The living quarters in the back include a sink with running water, ample counter and cupboard space, a Norcold refrigerator, a microwave, a butane stove, a power-operated ceiling vent, and residential-style power outlets.
Inside you’ll find a sink with running water, ample counter and cupboard space, a Norcold refrigerator, a microwave, a butane stove, a power-operated ceiling vent, and residential-style power outlets.
There is sleeping space for two, with more available in a pinch if needed thanks to the fold down couch, and outside you’ll find a Fiamma awning, Aluminess bumpers, side ladders, Yakima roof bars, an ARB air compressor, a rear shower, and AMP Research retractable running boards for easy ingress and egress.
The vehicle is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Denver, Colorado by the current owner who bought it directly from Buffett back in 2020. It has 69,000 miles on the odometer, and it comes with service records, spare parts, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Colorado title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
