Tracing the History of an Unusual Airstream
Looking Back By Joe Peplinski #6768, WBCCI Historian [email protected]
This is a story about trying to uncover the history of an unusual old Airstream. It begins in September 2002 when a man named Mark in Modesto, CA inquired on the AirForums web site about what he called an “odd ball” 1962 24’ Tradewind Airstream. The inquiry was accompanied by a couple of low resolution photos.
This Airstream reportedly had several unusual features:
The trailer was built in California in October 1961 and bore the serial number 24DSS0706. It was reported as sporting the faded 5-digit WBCCI #30908 which wasn’t assigned until the 1970s. The owner had owned this unusual Airstream since 1981 and in the late 1980s had contacted Airstream, who stated they had no record of such a trailer and merely suggested it may have been created to show off some new features or lead a caravan. In response to the 2002 AirForums post, Vintage Airstream Club members investigated, but failed to turn up anything about this trailer, only offering the suggestion that it may have been created for an Airstream company executive. The case then went cold for about 10 years until this trailer was once again mentioned on AirForums in September 2012. At that time, I became involved and asked the owner to take close-up photos of the WBCCI numbers on the end caps, which he did. The owner was unaware there were ghosts of prior WBCCI numbers under the 30908, but the photos showed faint outlines of both a 3-digit and a 4-digit number under the 5-digit number: The most interesting number found was #100, which was assigned to Airstream California Plant President Art Costello and his wife Caroline when this Airstream was built. I then found evidence that Art and Caroline Costello led Caravan #29 – Eastern Mexico Winter 1962, which ran from February 5 to March 7, 1962.
This Airstream reportedly had several unusual features:
- A gold anodized band completely around the trailer at about eye level
- Factory painted gold trim on hard metal interior parts
- Fiberglass bathtub finished in gold metal flake
- Rare dual axles for a 24’ Tradewind
- Rare jalousie windows on both sides of the front living area
- Rare jalousie window in the entrance door, rather than the typical door-within-a-door
The trailer was built in California in October 1961 and bore the serial number 24DSS0706. It was reported as sporting the faded 5-digit WBCCI #30908 which wasn’t assigned until the 1970s. The owner had owned this unusual Airstream since 1981 and in the late 1980s had contacted Airstream, who stated they had no record of such a trailer and merely suggested it may have been created to show off some new features or lead a caravan. In response to the 2002 AirForums post, Vintage Airstream Club members investigated, but failed to turn up anything about this trailer, only offering the suggestion that it may have been created for an Airstream company executive. The case then went cold for about 10 years until this trailer was once again mentioned on AirForums in September 2012. At that time, I became involved and asked the owner to take close-up photos of the WBCCI numbers on the end caps, which he did. The owner was unaware there were ghosts of prior WBCCI numbers under the 30908, but the photos showed faint outlines of both a 3-digit and a 4-digit number under the 5-digit number: The most interesting number found was #100, which was assigned to Airstream California Plant President Art Costello and his wife Caroline when this Airstream was built. I then found evidence that Art and Caroline Costello led Caravan #29 – Eastern Mexico Winter 1962, which ran from February 5 to March 7, 1962.
|
|
|
These findings supported the theories proposed years earlier by Airstream and Vintage Airstream Club members. I also contacted Dale “Peewee” Schwamborn, Wally Byam’s second cousin who worked at Airstream in the mid to late 1960s. He noted that several sheets of gold anodized aluminum were left over after Wally’s gold trailer was built, so materials would have existed to build such a trailer, but he had no personal recollection of this unusual Airstream. He definitely remembered #100 as belonging to the Costellos. Together, the 3, 4, and 5 digit WBCCI numbers provide an almost continuous outline of ownership for this unusual Airstream: #100 – Art & Caroline Costello, Downey, CA, WBCCI members using this number 1957-1981, Caravan 29 among others.I believe this Airstream was created specifically for Caravan 29 and was likely owned by Airstream at the time of the caravan and was then sold to a customer shortly after the caravan ended. #7328 – Eugene & Athione Gwaltney, Los Angeles, CA, WBCCI members 1962-1970, Caravans 34 – Western Canada Summer 1963 & 42 – Mexico Winter 1965.Since #7328 was first assigned in mid-1962, I believe the Gwaltney’s bought this Airstream after Caravan 29 ended and immediately joined WBCCI and then took it on their own two caravans. Note: #7328 was reassigned to a couple in Mobile, AL in 1972-73, and a different couple in Pensacola, FL from 1975-80, but because of the distance from California I do not believe either of those couples ever owned this particular Airstream. #30908 – James W. and Barbara Huggins, Modesto, CA, WBCCI Members 1976-1980, no caravans. When I provided this information to the owner of this unusual Airstream, he confirmed that he had bought it from the Huggins and he found receipts that he got with the trailer bearing the name of Eugene Gwaltney dated 1965 & 1966. The sequence of ownership is thus pretty complete, except for the years of 1971 thru 1975, when it may have been owned by the Gwaltneys, the Huggins, or possibly someone else. To complete the story, in November 2013 I came across the photo below that was posted on the Sierra Nevada Airstreams web site by Dale Schwamborn. A letter accompanying the photo indicated the photo was taken on February 23, 1962 and the photo shows Art Costello seated beside Eva Samano de Lopez Mateos, the wife of the President of Mexico, who was there accepting a donation from the caravan for her favorite charity, “Breakfasts for School Children”. Seated on the ends of the gaucho are Connie and Andy Charles. While I cannot currently prove that this photo was taken on the gaucho of the unusual Airstream, I can identify the Airstream in the photo as definitely being a 1962 California model with a custom grill in the center overhead cabinet door, so it seems probable.
From Rich Luhr, Airstream Life Magazine
Yes, I had heard about the Easter Egg anodized trailers, but not much other than what we wrote in the magazine some years ago:
Wally's most famous personal trailer was also his last one, a tandem axle 22' trailer sheathed in gold anodized aluminum. It was built in 1957 at the Ohio factory especially for Wally's use on the African Caravan, and was also the prototype for the International series of self-contained trailers. Wally visited a few Rallies before and between taking it on two arduous Caravans, to Central America in 1958 and from Cape Town to Cairo and through Europe in 1959 and 1960.
The most striking feature was and remains the gold anodized Reynolds aluminum skin. Anodize is a process by which aluminum or other metals are coated with a protective film by chemical or electrolytic means. Wally dreamed of Easter Egg colored trailers to compliment the bright pastel color American cars of the mid to late 1950s. From 20 or more feet away, the gold color on his trailer looked good. But upon a closer inspection each panel had a slightly different hue. This difference increased over time as panels weathered at varying rates and to different colors. The problem is the hard, heat-treated structural alloy aluminum used in aircraft and on Airstreams doesn't accept anodizing consistently, so each panel ends up a different hue and the trailer appears splotchy. Given the unsatisfactory results, Wally dropped the Easter Egg colored trailer idea.
Yes, I had heard about the Easter Egg anodized trailers, but not much other than what we wrote in the magazine some years ago:
Wally's most famous personal trailer was also his last one, a tandem axle 22' trailer sheathed in gold anodized aluminum. It was built in 1957 at the Ohio factory especially for Wally's use on the African Caravan, and was also the prototype for the International series of self-contained trailers. Wally visited a few Rallies before and between taking it on two arduous Caravans, to Central America in 1958 and from Cape Town to Cairo and through Europe in 1959 and 1960.
The most striking feature was and remains the gold anodized Reynolds aluminum skin. Anodize is a process by which aluminum or other metals are coated with a protective film by chemical or electrolytic means. Wally dreamed of Easter Egg colored trailers to compliment the bright pastel color American cars of the mid to late 1950s. From 20 or more feet away, the gold color on his trailer looked good. But upon a closer inspection each panel had a slightly different hue. This difference increased over time as panels weathered at varying rates and to different colors. The problem is the hard, heat-treated structural alloy aluminum used in aircraft and on Airstreams doesn't accept anodizing consistently, so each panel ends up a different hue and the trailer appears splotchy. Given the unsatisfactory results, Wally dropped the Easter Egg colored trailer idea.
Justin P. Humphreys, COO Airstream Inc.
We have a person here at Airstream now who is in charge of our archives. Here is what she sent me regarding your trailer-
“I have not been able to find any definitive record of Art owning a trailer with a gold panel. However, our serial number records match the attached photo; this particular trailer was made in October of 1961 and it is listed as “Special-Art”. We also have the Warranty Registration which lists Eugene Gwaltney. I can’t completely rule out that this trailer belonged to Art at some point since he is connected to the serial number but since he is not listed on the Warranty Registration I have to wonder if it wasn’t a prototype that Art was in charge of but was sold to Eugene Gwaltney.
I searched through the Board of Director minutes from 1959-1962 to see if I could find any mention of Art having this trailer built but no luck. What I did come across is that they were still experimenting with the Easter Egg trailers in 1961 which were trailers made with anodized aluminum in different colors. I also found in the September 1961 minutes that they were working on a plan for a Golden Caravan.
The notes about the Golden Caravan read: “it is to be an Airstream with distinctive external identification as a Golden Caravan; offered in a limited number of floor plans….it is to be built to the principle that no cost shall be spared in providing the finest and most advanced mechanical contrivances and materials for both world cruising and domestic pleasure travel; it is not to be customized for individual customers but shall be signed by Airstream.”
This leads me to believe that this Airstream is likely the prototype for the Golden Caravan. It would make sense for this line of trailers to match the model type of Wally’s gold trailer. The fact that it has a gold flecked bathtub also matches the description that no cost shall be spared. I know that in 1961 Art was working on a prototype for the Easter Egg in California so it’s reasonable that he would have been working on a Golden Caravan prototype as well.
Whether or not it belonged to Art at some point is hard to say but he was certainly involved with its production and it is a very unique trailer!”
We have a person here at Airstream now who is in charge of our archives. Here is what she sent me regarding your trailer-
“I have not been able to find any definitive record of Art owning a trailer with a gold panel. However, our serial number records match the attached photo; this particular trailer was made in October of 1961 and it is listed as “Special-Art”. We also have the Warranty Registration which lists Eugene Gwaltney. I can’t completely rule out that this trailer belonged to Art at some point since he is connected to the serial number but since he is not listed on the Warranty Registration I have to wonder if it wasn’t a prototype that Art was in charge of but was sold to Eugene Gwaltney.
I searched through the Board of Director minutes from 1959-1962 to see if I could find any mention of Art having this trailer built but no luck. What I did come across is that they were still experimenting with the Easter Egg trailers in 1961 which were trailers made with anodized aluminum in different colors. I also found in the September 1961 minutes that they were working on a plan for a Golden Caravan.
The notes about the Golden Caravan read: “it is to be an Airstream with distinctive external identification as a Golden Caravan; offered in a limited number of floor plans….it is to be built to the principle that no cost shall be spared in providing the finest and most advanced mechanical contrivances and materials for both world cruising and domestic pleasure travel; it is not to be customized for individual customers but shall be signed by Airstream.”
This leads me to believe that this Airstream is likely the prototype for the Golden Caravan. It would make sense for this line of trailers to match the model type of Wally’s gold trailer. The fact that it has a gold flecked bathtub also matches the description that no cost shall be spared. I know that in 1961 Art was working on a prototype for the Easter Egg in California so it’s reasonable that he would have been working on a Golden Caravan prototype as well.
Whether or not it belonged to Art at some point is hard to say but he was certainly involved with its production and it is a very unique trailer!”
