This Vintage Bus Is Also A Mobile Cinema...And It's For Sale

In the late 1960s, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Technology commissioned seven custom mobile theaters, built with a plexiglass bubble at the front and a Dr. Who-like interior (it's bigger on the inside) complete with 26 seats. They toured the country as a promotional stunt until being sold off in 1974, and over time they were all destroyed.

Well, all but this one. And now it's for sale for £120,000 (roughly $182,000) at, you guessed it, eBay.

Restoring the rolling cinema took half a decade to complete, and for the past five years it's been touring the British countryside showing film screenings at festivals, schools, and villages. Not just a boring display, the bus has been retrofitted with a modern engine, brakes, transmission, and air ride suspension.

The film projector once housed in the stargazer dome over the driver has been upgraded to a modern unit, just like your local multiplex's. For the audio- and video-philles, the projection kit is full HD, with 7.1 Dolby Surround Sound, complemented by soundproofing fitted to “limit external disturbances.”

Inside the stadium-style theater section, the original vinyl seats have been replaced with 26 refurbished low-back,1930s-era cloth movie seats.

In addition to the bus, the buyer will also get the unrestored trailer that was used for industrial demonstrations along with the mobile cinema. The current owner got the trailer after a random call from someone who knew where the bus’s trailer had ended up 25 years following its cinematic use; it was being used as a woodwork shop and was formally recognized as belonging to the cinema.

The bus is famous in its own right, having toured the United Kingdom, starring alongside Melvyn Bragg in a 20-part BBC2 series, The Reel History of Britain, and an appearance on George Clarke's Amazing Spaces. It then sat, neglected for 14 years before being picked up for just £1,200 (approx. $2,000) in 2005, when the £35,000 ($53,000) restoration began.

And that's it, really. In addition to being one of the coolest RVs ever, it is just one HDMI cable away from the best HALO party you could imagine.