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This is our most requested feature - photos of vintage Airstreams listed by year and length. Without any Airstream history books, or any official Airstream guides, this listing of models and large collection of photos was developed over a period of years, and is the only way many people get to see what many of the models look like, how they changed over the years, and find comparison images for that missing part or feature on their model. This listing is the most complete an accurate one available anywhere at this time.
Official Airstream records are nonexistent (thrown out) and production and models was inconsistent, especially between the multiple California and Ohio factories. I have had the fortunate assistance from individuals who have supplied some early production run information and industry records. If you have any additional material or information that would help, please contact us with any insight you might have. The sole purpose of this listing is for education. Prior to standardization in 1965, model names and serial number format was loose & casual. Not all trailers were made at all factories, some were made for only a year, and rarely did the model name appear on the trailer until the '60's. Model names were also recycled in later years. The Caravanner of the '50s had little in common with the 70's version. Sub-Model names such as the GlobeTrotter and Trade Wind of the late '40's Liner series became real model names later in the '50's. Airstream experimented with layouts & built custom trailers to further confuse the issue. Many model names were just marketing ploys, and never existed on a nameplate. The 1950's 18 footers and 22 footers were notorious for this. It is best to think in terms of year and length. I have captured most of these nuances, but am always open to learning more.
The ability to complete this matrix comes from you. If you have photos of your trailer that you can send, please do so along with the year, serial number, length and any model information. Both interior and exterior shots are ideal. If you don't have a digital camera, but have prints, please e-mail us for directions where to send them. We'll scan them and return them back.
Trailer lengths can be confusing. Even though they are measured "bumper to ball", they rarely came out even feet - they always landed some where in the middle at about 8". Years were just as confusing as many were registered as the year they were sold instead of the year made - and Motor Vehicle Dept's made many mistakes, too. Many times trailers are registered after sitting unused, and are mis-identified. Airstream usually started their model year in September of the prior year, just like automakers. Best bet is to use the serial number for accuracy . Send your serial number and I'll decode it. There is no easy way to list decoding procedures, as it varied from year to year and plant to plant. My notes are now 30 pages long.
For a printer friendly version of this chart, click here.
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