This 1962 Standard Atlas Pop-Top Campervan Is a Unicorn Screaming for Your Attention

These days, it feels like everyone and their mama are either thinking of or actively working on a van conversion or some other type of mobile home. Granted, for most of us, that's just automotive escapism, but for thousands of people from all over the world giving in to their wanderlust, it's everyday reality.

You could be one of them, too, if you're feeling particularly bold – and especially particularly well-off – today. And you'd be doing it in style, with a campervan that's the equivalent of a unicorn on four wheels, oozing vintage style and personality yet offering the basic creature comforts for life on the road.

A rare Standard Atlas Pop-Top campervan has emerged for sale and is scheduled to cross the auction block in Derbyshire, England, on July 24, 2024.

It's a 1962 unit that's been part of the David Lucas Collection since 1995 and which presents in highly original condition. It will require plenty of work to bring back to its former glory, but it's a solid base for a future live-in vehicle that would enable the next owner the chance to go all-in on the #vanlife trend.

More importantly, though, it's an opportunity to add a coveted collectible to the stable. The Standard Atlas is not a familiar name with RV-ers outside of UK borders, and even to many here it might still be somewhat of a mystery. That's because production was limited, but especially because few units are known to have survived over the years.

The Standard Atlas, the small van that could do anything

The Atlas was introduced in 1958 by Standard Motor Company as a niche vehicle for commercial applications. That same year, Standard tested it in the Sahara, taking it on an endurance run from Cape Town, South Africa to Tangier, Morocco.

The Atlas was a small van with extended functionality, and Standard enhanced applicability even more by offering it with a large array of body styles.

"Whether it's bread, milk, people, or frozen fish," Atlas could haul it, according to one official brochure. Standard highlighted the van's easy maintenance, fuel efficiency, versatility, and cargo capacity, which made it suitable for whatever applicability around the city you could think of. The Atlas could work just as well as an ambulance, a delivery van, an RV, or a pickup.

The Standard Atlas became the Leyland 15 and Leyland 20 when Leyland Motors Limited took over Standard, and was discontinued in 1968 when BMC bought Leyland. It remained in production for 12 more years in India, through Standard Motors India, but 1968 was the official year of demise within national borders.

As an RV, the Standard Atlas was equipped with a pop-up roof that offered standing height in camping mode, and a standard (ha!) dinette and bedroom combo. It was compact, but it also packed a galley with a stove and a sink with running water, and a surprising number of storage options, all things considered.

The first production units were powered by a 948-cc engine borrowed from the Standard Ten, hidden under a cowling between the driver and the passenger seat, coupled with manual transmission that sent power to the rear wheels. These units got good gas mileage but were very slow, so later model-years got upgraded engines.

In the final production years, heavy-duty Atlas units got the 2,138-cc gas engine from the Triumph TR4 or the 2,260-cc 60 hp (45 kW) diesel engine from Leyland as an extra option.

A unicorn frozen in time

The unit that's being offered for sale, though in bad need of some TLC, is what you'd call a time capsule. For years, it's been part of a 40-strong-vehicle collection of classics and vintage cars and vehicles, and it's been kept at collector David Lucas' private museum and showcased at events around the country.

It's been on the road as early as 2016, which is the last date stamped on its last MOT (Ministry of Transport) certificate, which it obtained without a problem. The listing notes that "it will require recommissioning/renovation prior to use," which is quite obvious from the photos as well.

But they also show an interior that seems mostly original or, at the very least, period-correct, down to the original kitchen appliances and the pop-up section of the roof. Photos also show assorted gear like a vinyl player and some light fixtures, which could possibly indicate that they're part of the lot.

The engine is the 1,147-cc Standard inline-four mated with a manual transmission, but the shifter sits in a rather unusual, forward-reaching position. The vehicle is offered with proper documentation and a complete history but without a reserve or a price guide.

To those of us who are not collectors and/or willing to travel to England this week to splurge on a new project vehicle, this '62 Standard Atlas is a glimpse into a simpler and perhaps happier past, offering the right dose of nostalgia, functionality, and style.