[VAC] Re: '38 Airstream on eBay - may be authentic

[Agrijeep@xxxxxxx]

   On the other hand, the 1937 Airstream catalog "Americas finest Airstream 
Trailers" illustrates and describes 5 trailers, only one of which - the 
Clipper -is aluminum.  The other four trailers - the 15' Silver Cloud, the 
11' 6" Silver Bullet, the 15' 6" Torpedo, and the 13' 2" Torpedo Junior - are 
all leatherette covered on the outside over an unspecified material, perhaps 
masonite.  They were production model trailers that could be bought at the 
factory and undoubtedly bore serial numbers. 

    The 1938 trailer just sold on Ebay had many features in common with the 
1937 Airstream trailers, although it's exact layout was not shown in the 1937 
catalog.  The serial number plate certainly looked authentic, and it may have 
been a new 1938 model.  The large cast AIRSTREAM name plate on the rear of 
the 1938 was used on the earliest postwar trailers in 1947, so may have been 
leftover from prewar trailers.  I don't know whether it was ever used on 1938 
models, but may have been added when it became available as a part postwar or 
obtained from a junkyard at the time the trailer was covered with aluminum.  
I question it's presence more than the data on the serial number plate, which 
looks reasonable to me.   

     The VAC Archives does not have any documentation on 1938 to 1942 
Airstream trailers (if any were made), so I'm flying blind here. But the 1938 
is so close in design and construction to the cataloged 1937 non-aluminum 
models that I'm inclined to give the Ebay 1938 trailer the benefit of the 
doubt as the real McCoy.  The serial number plate suggests to me the 1938 
trailer was factory made, not home built, as I doubt any trailer plans 
purchaser received a blank serial number plate with his $5.00 set of plans. 
The factory would not have staked it's trailer building reputation on the 
unknown skills of various plan purchasers.   

    Scott, what leads you to conclude only aluminum trailers were made in 
1938?  It seems to me the four other models collectively would have far 
outsold the more expensive Clipper by a wide margin, necessary to keep the 
company afloat in the recession year of 1938.  It does not make sense to me 
that the company would have discontinued in 1938 their entire non-aluminum 
trailer line in favor the one, most expensive model when those less expensive 
trailers were all available in 1937.   

    It remains possible that someone put an Airstream serial number plate 
from a junked Airstream on another brand trailer when it was covered with the 
aluminum skin.  But the design is so close to the 1937 Airstream trailers 
that I'm not willing to dismiss it as inauthentic on the sparse facts 
presently available about 1938 Airstream trailers.  To date, this trailer 
appears to be our best (and my only) source of information about 1938 
Airstream trailers. 

      Does anyone have any published primary source information from the 
factory or a contemporary trailer magazine on the 1938 to 1942 Airstreams?   
If so, please pipe up!

Fred Coldwell
VAC Archive Historian
Agrijeep@aol.com