GOOD AS GOLDIn 1956 Wally Byam, the inventor of the Airstream trailer, collaborated on a trailer design with his wife, Stella. The floorplan that they came up with was christened “Stella’s Dream Trailer.” “Stella’s Dream Trailer” went into production during the first quarter of 1957. When Stella’s Airstream came off the production line at the Jackson Center, Ohio factory it was far more than a typical Airstream. It was clad in beautiful gold anodized aluminum. It will be forever known as, “Stella’s Gold Airstream.” That trailer is now on display at the factory where it was built.
Until now this was thought to be the only “gold” Airstream in existence. In the Summer of 2017 I was contacted by what I thought was a misinformed individual selling an Airstream with a gold stripe. When I could not convince him that there was no such model of Airstream he provided me with the serial number to the coach. With a little research we discovered that we had found the only other “gold” Airstream that had been long lost and forgotten. The trailer was special ordered from the factory by the President of Airstream in 1961. His name was Art Costello. THE FORGOTTEN GOLD AIRSTREAM
BE A PART OF AIRSTREAM HISTORYThe forgotten gold Airstream will receive a complete restoration. It will be restored as it would have looked in the 1960's. The goal is to travel across the country in the Airstream to the Jackson Center, Ohio Airstream factory. Sponsors will be featured in our social media efforts surrounding the build and the journey to Ohio and on to the museum in Elkhart, IN. The trailer will also be featured in the VCT and other magazines. Sponsors may even opt for a showing of the trailer at one of their own events.
In July of 2018 we begin filming an episode of "Ultimate Restorations". A documentary on the acquisition and restoration of our one-of-a-kind Airstream for PBS and Amazon TV. We are seeking sponsors financial or product support in exchange for brand placement in the media surrounding this project. Items Needed:
We would also like to raise $25,000 to cover our hard costs. This would cover the materials and labor we need to complete the project as well as some of the expenses to tour with the completed project. We welcome discussions with anyone interested in participating in all or part of this goal. To date we have invested approximately $10,000 into the acquisition of the trailer and replacing the running gear to make the trailer very roadworthy. We have relationships with a handful of magazines that we will submit stories and photos to for publication (Route 66, Cruisin News, Trailer Life, Grassroots Motorsports and Airstream Life to name a few). We will do a multi page article in our magazine and on our blog. We will be doing daily social media posts of the build and of the "behind the scenes" of the filming. The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, CA (and likely others) would like to display the special trailer. Museum showings will be worked out depending on a touring schedule. Ideally it would be shown in museums in the winter months. If you would like more information on sponsoring this project financially or with product/material donations, contact Paul: cell (916) 572-8554 or email vintagecampertrailers@gmail.com |
Wally and Stella
Click on the images for links of more information about Stella's Gold Airstream
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