Spartan Trailers

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Spotted a Spartan Travel Trailer at an auction here today.





From the auction catalog

https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az19/arizona/lots/r0052-1951-spartan-royal-mansion/726436

[Conan71]

Love the Spartans.  There was one for sale near Siloam Springs a few years back.  It needed a total gut and re-do but did not last long.  I think the posted price on it was in the $2500 range.

I've seen groupings of old Spartan and Airstream trailers used as retro motels, kind of a neat concept.  I've pondered the idea as well at our B & B as an addition but with the winds we get roaring out of the Sangre De Cristos directly to the west, they would need to be lashed down very well on concrete pads or we might find them piled up next to the main inn building. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

There is a "shelled out" one south of Coweta for sale.  Just a little too rough for me to look at.  Also, another shell of an Airfloat Navigator up at Delaware - would rather put the time/effort into it if I were gonna do that - would take less of each.  Also a Spartan Royal Mansion not to far from Oologah lake that I have been looking at and talking to the owner about - it's rough, but the outside metal doesn't have the corrosion pits that one has.

Here is a decent Spartan Manor - little bit shorter but done very nice.  This guy will restore one for you if you get the hulk to him.

http://www.vintage-vacations.com/46_manor_frnt_kit.htm


Here is another one done by Dorsey that is a pretty decent old Airstream.

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/115419787440652490174/album/AF1QipNun8kTs8pQ9lBDYBOsubswUUqc3gsePiL7bIsV?source=pwa



Oh, almost forgot...that's crazy on price!!

[heironymouspasparagus]

Love the Spartans.  There was one for sale near Siloam Springs a few years back.  It needed a total gut and re-do but did not last long.  I think the posted price on it was in the $2500 range.

I've seen groupings of old Spartan and Airstream trailers used as retro motels, kind of a neat concept.  I've pondered the idea as well at our B & B as an addition but with the winds we get roaring out of the Sangre De Cristos directly to the west, they would need to be lashed down very well on concrete pads or we might find them piled up next to the main inn building. 

Have you  looked at the Shady Dell in Bizbee, AZ?  Might be some inspiration there....

[dbacksfan 2.0]

This was the first one that I have seen other than in pictures. They do have one at Shady Dell, and I know people that have gone to Bisbee just for the experience.

http://theshadydell.com/

I was very impressed with the construction, the aircraft background (I graduated from Spartan in 1989) really shows in the quality of the work.

[Conan71]

Have you  looked at the Shady Dell in Bizbee, AZ?  Might be some inspiration there....

Great web site!

[heironymouspasparagus]

This was the first one that I have seen other than in pictures. They do have one at Shady Dell, and I know people that have gone to Bisbee just for the experience.

http://theshadydell.com/

I was very impressed with the construction, the aircraft background (I graduated from Spartan in 1989) really shows in the quality of the work.

They are much better built than Airstream ever was.  But they were soooo expensive!

I tried to track down the trailer part of the company many years ago - probably about 1989...  What I found was a guy still at Spartan who had worked there during trailer manufacturing.  They still had all the old company documentation up until the early 80's, according to the story.  MetLife was associated with it somehow - seemed to own all the IP - all all the business documents had been shipped to them somewhere east (not New York headquarters).  Including the manufacturing drawings, BOM's, etc for the trailers as well as all the old airplane stuff.  I bet it's in a landfill now...   The trail went very cold.

You must have seen Getty's 'bunker' out there when you were there...?

Have been looking for a Spartan for several years as a project.  May have to just start building my own from scratch...  Airfloat Navigator is another nice looking one, but not as well built.

If looking for a project, here are parts...

https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Default.asp

And info;

http://www.myvintagetraveltrailer.com/vintage-spartan-trailers/

[heironymouspasparagus]

Great web site!

We have been trying to get out there just to stay a couple nights. 

[Conan71]

They are much better built than Airstream ever was.  But they were soooo expensive!

I tried to track down the trailer part of the company many years ago - probably about 1989...  What I found was a guy still at Spartan who had worked there during trailer manufacturing.  They still had all the old company documentation up until the early 80's, according to the story.  MetLife was associated with it somehow - seemed to own all the IP - all all the business documents had been shipped to them somewhere east (not New York headquarters).  Including the manufacturing drawings, BOM's, etc for the trailers as well as all the old airplane stuff.  I bet it's in a landfill now...   The trail went very cold.

You must have seen Getty's 'bunker' out there when you were there...?

Have been looking for a Spartan for several years as a project.  May have to just start building my own from scratch...  Airfloat Navigator is another nice looking one, but not as well built.

If looking for a project, here are parts...

https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Default.asp

And info;

http://www.myvintagetraveltrailer.com/vintage-spartan-trailers/

All you need is a sheetmetal brake, shear, rivets and good to go.  Back when the air museum was just starting out in Wichita in the mid 1990's, they had a cut-away of a V-35 Bonanza.  It's pretty incredible the life-span they get out of thin sheet aluminum when it is formed in the correct structural manner.

[heironymouspasparagus]

All you need is a sheetmetal brake, shear, rivets and good to go.  Back when the air museum was just starting out in Wichita in the mid 1990's, they had a cut-away of a V-35 Bonanza.  It's pretty incredible the life-span they get out of thin sheet aluminum when it is formed in the correct structural manner.

Yep.  That's all.   Well, except for the skills needed to stretch that metal into shape...gonna have to work on that a little bit - past efforts indicate it would not be as pretty as some of those...

Aluminium is pretty amazing stuff.