Hi Alex :

My wife and I own both a '77 31' Airstream and a '66 '17 Silver Streak, and are very happy with both. We've only had the Silver Streak about six months, and haven't gotten much use out of it, but it's a very fine quality unit.

In terms of "collectibility", the Airstream has no rival, but if the SS that you are looking at is in good shape, it could be a very nice and very interesting find. The information I've been able to gather says that the man that built SIlver Streaks was an associate of Wally Byam's, and maybe even an employee. After WWII, he had some ideas for the Airstream that Wally ended up not liking a whole lot, and the man took off on his own to start Silver Streak Trailer Co. I would imagine that the '49 you are looking at would be among the first produced, and maybe one of the few survivors of that vintage. As someone else mentioned, the SS Co. was around until '96, and the later models are quite rare, and were VERY expensive.

I understand that the owner of the SS Co is now producing portable aircraft control towers...

Our '66 Silver Streak is still in very fine condition, and even the skin is in nice shape. The anodized skin probably tends to hold up a bit better over time than the clearcoated skin of the Airstreams, but it's unclear if the '49 models would have been anodized. Otherwise, the build quality of the Silver Streaks is quite good, and in a few areas, the design is superior, like the door design.

I, for one, would be glad to hear more about this '49 model if you decide to follow up, and if you have any more specific questions about the SS, please feel free to follow-up by email.

Best,

Gary Mager
Reno, NV