What is a Barth Royale?
year? ???

Only a few Royales were made in the 80's. This was an attempt to provide some of the Regency (diesel) luxury in a gas coach. I don't know how many were made but not too many because they were too heavy.

We took a look at the Royale owned by Linda & dave Alexander a few months ago. The only place I saw the name Barth was on the steering wheel hub. I wish I could remember the name used to identify the company and the coach but I can't. I wish I had wrote it down. It's going to bug me 'til I find out!
Even the pieces of literature found in the coach used a different name than Barth.
It looks like any other conventional Regal. Didn't look more luxo finished inside than other Regals to me. I can't see how it would be heavier than a regular 33' tag Chev Regal of the time.
Maybe Linda or Dave could drop in and tell us the name used on it. It wasn't Royale Industries was it? Somebody must know!
Makes me wonder why they didn't use the name Barth. Trying to spin off another company or something??
Happy New Year everybody!
Don

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Smiley:
What is a Barth Royale?
year? ???

Yeah, I saw it and even helped out with a little work on it. My recollection is similar to Don's on the name. I even looked at the data plate, but my focus was on the tag axle rating, not the name, so I don't remember too much. I also remember it as being very much like other Regals, with a typical interior and the same roof edge radius as a Regal. I have some memory of a cast, chromed logo that said Royale something. Maybe it will show in some photos.

It has headers and overdrive, which makes it a better hill climber.

Barth models can be confusing. A search of this site for Royale will yield more information.

In the photos the cabinet wood did not look like solid wood but like laminate. Can someone set me straight on that.

I talked briefly with the former Sales VP of Barth. He told me that they made very few Royales. They wanted to make a gas model which approached the amenities of a diesel Regency. they quit making them (as I recall him saying) because the tile floor and Corian made the coach too heavy.

if one replaced the gas engine with a diesel would that make them, performance wise,close to a diesel??

IMHO, If you want to spend money for performance, it's cheaper, easier, and lots more fun to install a properly warmed over GM 504 crate engine. Bill H. can tell you about this.

Diesel has cachet, & slightly better fuel economy, but they smell worse, you can't get 'em fixed at the corner garage, and not every gas station sells diesel. Diesel may pay off if you drive 50,000 miles a year for five years or so, but few of us drive our RVs that far in ten years.

I'd buy a diesel, but I wouldn't try swapping a diesel for a gas engine. Maybe in a boat, but not an RV.