Posted on 01/20/2012 5:20:56 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
Airstream trailers are finding new life along open roads in the U.S. and abroad, but that shiny, iconic aluminum body is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to wooing consumers.
The Airstream was born in 1929 when founder Wally Byam built the first model on a Model T Ford chassis using only a teardrop-shaped shell of a shelter, an icebox and a kerosene stove. The trailers went into mass production in 1932 after Hawley Bowlus, the man who designed Charles Lindbergh's Spirit Of St. Louis aircraft for the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris, designed the rounded aluminum body to reduce drag by 20% compared with square trailers.
It became one of the great symbols of roadside America from the 1950s through the 1970s, but has found an audience beyond the greatest generation and baby boomers in recent years. Airstream CEO Bob Wheeler says an increased focus on Airstream's design elements helped double trailer sales to more than 1,500 in 2011 and nearly tripled sales of the company's motor homes. Thor Industries(THO_)-owned Airstream is also predicting 15% to 20% growth in 2012 against a forecast of 4% industrywide decline.
Recent company partnerships have only helped matters as the company's 27-foot trailer collaboration with Eddie Bauer has built on the company's work with outdoor-oriented brands such as surf- and skate-focused Quicksilver(ZQK_). Designer Christopher Deam, meanwhile, last year unveiled an Airstream concept trailer replete with stainless steel appliances and storage, bright white vinyl seating, illuminated translucent cabinets and Kennedy-era lime carpeting and throw pillows juxtaposed with Obama-era tech such as flatscreen televisions and super-slim climate-control systems. Nintendo uses an Airstream trailer painted with a giant Mario face and illuminated with LEDs as a mobile testing facility for its games and consoles.
(Excerpt) Read more at thestreet.com ...
As a kid I spent some amazing summers in my grandfathers Airstream.
I wouldn’t mind living in one full time.
a toy hauler would be great.
My parents had a series of them, and I enjoyed a number of great camping trips in them.
I wish I could afford one.
They’d be great as part of a bug-out-plan. Load it up. Head out. I believe you can live in them year-round because all the water lines are within the insulated portion of the cabin, so they won’t freeze (as long as the inside stays above freezing).
I imagine you’d need a pretty good towing package to pull one of these things, though.
A friend of mine has one that has been in the family since
new in the 50’s. One of his parent’s only splurges. The
paneling is nicer than most homes I’ve seen.
Not mine.
But I own one similar.
Tows easy at 3500 lbs and 350 tongue wt.
Airstreams are nice. I thought when the RV was getting killed in the Jimmy Carter administration recession (not to be confused with the ZERO recession). I lost $$ on the RV industry.
I’m surprised Baraq hasn’t had the FedGov purchase a couple thousand for the Occupy crew.
I looked at the new Airstreams, and they appear to be really cheaply made. The exterior looks good, but the interior was cheesy tin looking stainless wall covering. They do not look like the ones my grandparents bought in the 70’s and 80’s.
I was disappointed, could and still can afford one, but will pass on the poor quality interior. Too much money for cheap furnishings.
Buy an old one.
1964 Tradewind is solid.
They are cheap and increase value with improvements to them.
Really? Giving credit to Hussein Obama for flatscreens?
New Airstreams have steep depreciation the first few years. Last year I purchased one that was several years old but infrequently used. It was like new but far below the new price. My wife and I love it. We’ve gone to several rallies and find many conservatives sharing the Airstream lifestyle. This summer we are planning A grand tour of this great country. An Alaska Highway trip is in our longer term plan.
Many people who have woodworking, plumbing, and electrical skills are buying and restoring Airstreams from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. Sweat equity and a few thousand dollars can turn an old Airstream abandoned in a field to a beautifully restored camping vehicle worth tens of thousands. Plus it is great traveling in a truly American icon. There is an extremely active Airstream Forum at www.airforums.com which covers every facet of buying, restoring, and traveling.
“I looked at the new Airstreams, and they appear to be really cheaply made. The exterior looks good, but the interior was cheesy tin looking stainless wall covering. “
Unions...no money left for quality.
One summer the Wally Byam club held it’s convention near where I was working. Acres and acres of Airstreams — it was quite a sight.
The people were a LOT less weird than the Citroen club that met there a couple years later.
That monster is really only a 350 pound tongue weight and 3500 overall? It looks like it would be much heavier than that.
So they just up and invent a new class of motor home? Never heard of a “Class D,” and I can’t find any references, other than this article, of a “Class D.” Even Airstream’s own website refers to them as “Class B,” which is what they are.
I know injustice wish someone would build quality not quantity.
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