Airstream is best known for its polished aluminium travel trailers, yet from 1974 to 2006 the company also built Class A motorhomes. The first of them were sold under the Argosy badge, and from 1979 the Classic motorhome wore an unpainted aluminium body much like that of the trailers. The pages for the Airstream 290, 310 and 345 in this archive all describe that aluminium line and now lead here.
Airstream motorhomes at a glance
| Maker | Airstream, Jackson Center, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Owner | a division of Thor Industries |
| Body type | Class A motorhome |
| First Class A | 1974, badged as Argosy |
| Classic motorhome | from 1979, unpainted aluminium body |
| Coachwork | aluminium like the trailers; fibreglass from the 1990s |
| Special version | funeral coach marketed in 1981 |
| Government use | NASA fleet for astronaut transport |
| Last of the line | Class A motorhome manufacture ended in 2006 |
| Related trailer brand | Argosy, built 1972–1979 in Versailles, Ohio |
No Wikipedia article covers the Airstream 290, 310 or 345 individually; this page is based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on Airstream.
History of the Airstream motorhomes
From trailers to a Class A motorhome
Airstream was created by Wally Byam, who began building Masonite trailers in Los Angeles in the late 1920s. In 1936 he introduced the Airstream Clipper, essentially a rebadged 1935 Bowlus Road Chief with the door moved from the front to the side, and it set the sausage-shaped, silver aluminium form that became the marque’s signature. A new factory was established at Jackson Center, Ohio, in July 1952, and trailers and recreational vehicles have been built there ever since; the company is now a division of Thor Industries and is the oldest in the industry. In 1974 Airstream began manufacturing a Class A motorhome, and the first of these were badged as Argosy, the name already used for the company’s painted trailer line.
The Classic of 1979
The Argosy name had been launched during the energy crisis of the 1970s for painted travel trailers in the same shape as the Airstreams. Manufactured from 1972 to 1979 in Versailles, Ohio, they were built largely of aluminium like their Airstream brethren, but the external panels were painted and the trim was lighter and cheaper; galvanised steel endcaps and panoramic front windows set them apart. The end of the painted trailers coincided with the next step for the motorhome: in 1979 came the first examples of the Classic model motorhome, with an unpainted aluminium body much like the trailers. That year also saw the last Airstreams to be manufactured in California.
A coach for every job
The aluminium coachwork was not reserved for holiday travel. In 1981 Airstream’s Commercial Vehicle Division marketed a Class A motorhome as a funeral coach, designed to carry the family, the flowers and the deceased from the funeral home to the cemetery. It shows how far the motorhome idea could be stretched from the trailer it was derived from.
Fibreglass and the end of the line
The aluminium motorhomes were followed in the 1990s by more traditional-looking fibreglass models, and Airstream discontinued the manufacture of Class A motorhomes in 2006. The trailers, meanwhile, continued, and the marque remains the one most closely identified with aluminium coachwork.
The Astrovan
For decades NASA has used a fleet of Airstream motorhomes to transport astronauts to the launch pad. The space shuttle programme used a modified 1983 Airstream Excella beginning in 1984, dubbed the Astrovan — the best-known working life of any Airstream motorhome.
Design and features
- Aluminium coachwork: the unpainted aluminium body of the trailers, carried over to a Class A motorhome in 1979.
- An Argosy beginning: the first Airstream motorhomes of 1974 were sold under the Argosy badge.
- Purpose-built versions: the Commercial Vehicle Division offered a Class A funeral coach in 1981.
- Government service: NASA used Airstream motorhomes to move astronauts to the launch pad, including the Astrovan from 1984.
- A long run: motorhomes were built from 1974 until the Class A line ended in 2006.
Airstream motorhomes versions
- Argosy-badged Class A (1974): the first Airstream motorhomes, sharing the name of the painted trailer line.
- Classic motorhome (1979): unpainted aluminium body much like the trailers.
- Funeral coach (1981): Class A motorhome marketed by the Commercial Vehicle Division.
- Fibreglass motorhomes (1990s): the traditional-looking bodies that replaced the aluminium coaches.
- Astrovan (1983 Excella, modified 1984): the NASA astronaut transport.
Airstream motorhomes and trailers from the archive are collected on the Airstream page. The motorhomes share their aluminium bodywork with the travel trailers that made the marque famous.
Sources
- Airstream, English Wikipedia: motorhome history, Argosy, funeral coach, NASA use