A lost Airstream travel trailer has returned home.
The aluminum travel trailer manufacturer located what is thought to be the company’s first Airstream model.
The model is on display now at the Airstream Heritage Center at Airstream’s headquarters in Jackson Center, Ohio.
Many people went through drastic efforts to find and restore the original Clipper, the first of what are believed to be 12 remaining Airstream trailers built under the Clipper name.
In 1936, Airstream founder Wally Byam crafted the company’s first rounded aluminum travel trailer. Byam photographed the Clipper-branded model for marketing ventures. According to Airstream, when World War II’s impacts reached the U.S., the government ordered that travel trailers could only be made for war use. Byam closed Airstream production for the remainder of the war. Byam resumed production in 1947, but the original Clipper’s whereabouts were unknown.
A collector discovered what he thought was the original Clipper in 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. According to Airstream, the trailer’s panels were crumpled and the interior deteriorated, with a traveling circus sign occupying the space.
Collector David Gulley shipped the RV to Silver Lady Restoration in Lawton, Oklahoma. Airstream Historian Joe Peplinski compared the Rivet patterns, measurements and exterior component placement with the original model images. Peplinski and his team confirmed that the RV was the original Clipper.
Silver Lady Restoration preserved as much of the trailer as possible in 40 weeks. The team removed the chassis and rebuilt the frame. The shell was disassembled. The team preserved three aluminum panels, several walls, aluminum bed frames, the sink, an icebox and a trash receptacle. Silver Lady Restoration used the original interior photos to rebuild parts that could not be preserved. The team used the same tools and methods from 1936 to rebuild the travel trailer.
Gulley loaned the restored Clipper to Airstream’s vintage RV collection. The model is positioned next to Airstream’s 1938 Clipper and The Gulley Collection’s 1941 Clipper.
Airstream CEO and President Bob Wheeler said, “This is our history on full display. Clipper No. 1 is the vision of Wally Byam made real – the inspiration for the iconic ‘silver bullet’ design that has become synonymous with freedom and making travel dreams come true.”
