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[VAL] Petersen Museum Exhibit



> > We tried to argue 
> > that many of the aluminum trailers of that period were inspired by 
> > Wally's Airstream design and should be allowed to join, but the Big 
> > Kahunas at 
> > WBCCI squashed it. 
> > 
> > Seems odd that some 10 years later in an effort to expand 
> > the membership they were trying to get non Airstream products into the 
> > club. 
> > 
> > How do they say it?? "What's good for the goose....." 
> > 
> > WAM 
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Wayne - thanks for the info and for working so hard for the "extended family" members 
of what really (my 2 cents...) should/could be referred to as the "Bowlus Family of 
Aviation Inspired Travel Trailers"!

You may remember that some years ago I began researching the history of a little trailer 
I had in my barn - I referred to it as the "Mystery 36".

Well - years have gone by - I sold it to a truly dedicated collector - and it went directly 
from my barn to a restoration shop in the Sierras - and it now gleams and glows better than 
new.  In fact...it will be on display soon - part of a new exhibit in the Grand Salon at the 
Petersen Museum in Los Angeles.  The write up on the exhibit sounds great - I plan to make a 
trip just to see it.


http://www.petersen.org/default.cfm?docid=1066

Meanwhile....back at the barn....sitting in the shadow of my '57 Flying Cloud and my '74 Silver 
Streak is a new mystery to be decoded.  In fact it's a newer version of the "Mystery 36"....this 
is what I'm calling the "39 Special".  It was obviously built by the same person/people who built 
the "Mystery 36" - it's a few feet longer and is nearly identical to a front kitchen Bowlus - only 
by 1939 someone had figured out how to modify the Bowlus style monocoque frame to allow for a 
curbside door.  This trailer has been cared for and in use all of it's life so I won't have to 
restore it from the ground up - it just needs a proper refitting and varnishing and polishing to 
continue on for the next 60 years.

RL