Vintage 1954 AIRSTREAM 'Flying Cloud' trailer - #31 Cali Whaletail & 13 panel
Sale price: US $27,017.76 Make an Offer
| Used |
| “The trailer is 65 years old....I undertook a 700+ hour restore to repair defects and make it quite livable for my winter Florida escapes. It is NOT a museum piece by any means....it is deliberately not polished and has much desired patina, scuffs, scrapes etc. I want it to look weathered, you could not give me a new one....This Airstream like other vintage trailers has a SOUL, and I tried to respect and possibly embellish the mid-fifties vibe. I say it is in very good condition. Examine the pictures for a general assessment. Read the rambling text dissertation below....” |
| Year: | 1954 | VIN : | 7631 |
| Model: | Flying Cloud Whaletail | Type: | Bumper pull trailer |
| Sleeping Capacity: | 2 | For Sale By: | Private Seller |
| Leveling Jacks Included: | Yes | Air Conditioners: | None |
| Awnings: | 1 | Vehicle Title: | Clear |
| Make: | Airstream | Water Capacity (Gallons): | None |
| Length (feet): | 19 |
Bradenton, Florida, United States
Vehicle description
Now that we are ALL living a Bizarre "TwilightZone" reality, and you have been sheltering-in-place with the ENTIRE Family (that you thought you knew), and now know TOOO much! ! . .You need a space of your own to ESCAPE THE MADNESS. . . Lock the door and drift off in to a Peaceful Mid-century Solitude.
The Airstream is also for sale locally and may disappear from the market at ANY time. It will be tough to find another. .
Make your Airstream Dreams come true ! ! I will provide a Phone number to * *SERIOUS* * potential buyers as I am a very capable Conversationalist, BUT first you must read. . .
You are looking at a COLOSSAL piece of mid-century Americana,. .a unicorn. .The 31st (serial 7631) AIRSTREAM "Flying Cloud" trailer manufactured in Southern California in 1954 with the highly sought after 13 panel front cap, and the very RARE 9 panel rear California Whaletail on the sloped fastback ! ! Ebay Meddling disclaimer: Before spontaneously bidding, ask yourself several important questions. . Do you have any money ? Will you deprive your kids of food for several years by purchasing such an unnecessary item, does your spouse approve ? Do you really want to OWN a vintage Airstream - it is totally different than just looking at pretty pictures. .Please ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS FIRST! !
Yes, it is super-cool. . .Like living in a Thomas Kincade painting. Yes, it is super-rare. . like owning a silver Faberge egg with chrome moonies. You will own a piece of iconic Americana: what will you do with it ?, where will you go with it ?, who will you meet while towing the Airstream ? You are no longer "just anyone" on the hiway. You have a colossal vintage 1954 Airstream, you are an AMBASSADOR to RVing, and explanations and tours will be expected.
When the Airstream is set-up in Bradenton, FL the "Fairy-tale" village is quite a visual spectacle - surrounded by an assortment of Palms, pineapples and radiant Hibiscus flowers all wrapped in pretty lights and topped off with the ever popular large Flickering "No Vacancy" sign. Don"t reflect too long,. .as the Airstream is FOR SALE LOCALLY and may disappear from the market at ANY time. Inquire before some spontaneous buyer visits me, sees the Airstream in its staged glory,. .and Falls in Love.
This 1954 Airstream "Flying Cloud" California Whaletail (#31). . .is a very RARE and highly sought after vintage, mid-century, living functional Smithsonian time-piece. The trailer is oozing with classic charm and a healthy dose of rustic (deliberately unpolished) 50"s Patina. The 13 panel front in near perfect condition along with the excellent rear California Whaletail are show stoppers to those who know what they are looking at. . Only produced in 1954, 55, and 1956. The 13 panel front was altered to a much less labor-intensive (and much less visually appealing) 7 panel design in 1957. In 1957 the 3 year production Whaletail was history. Investigate the Genesis of Airstream at the hands of Visionary creator Wally Byam.
My tarnished Silver gem was slumbering in an Oregon barn for several decades before it saw the light of day. The last Oregon tag (hung in the trailer) is still adorned with its last 1989 registration sticker. For a time, the little "Flying Cloud" put some time in as a guard "shack" at an Oregon mine. . .
I purchased my little unicorn in the end of 2016 and had it pulled 2700 miles across the country (with new Cokers and wheel bearings) to southern Pennsylvania. I promptly undertook a 700+ hour restoration in 2017 making good use of my structural Engineering skills to create a livable and comfortable space. My goal was not to make it perfect or to erase the signs of the passage of time,. .but to respect and preserve it"s immense charachter. Specifically my goal was to re-create a vintage one-of-a-kind space to ESCAPE the miserable NE weather to convalsce in sunshine bathed in Vitamin D! The intent was to set up the trailer in my Idyllic riverside central Florida community. . The 19" body and 22" overall dimensions provide nice storage and make the trailer amazingly roomy. As a fair space reference, I am an "OUTDOOR Junkie", landscaper, motorcyclist, athlete. . . so I don"t just Lolly gag about inside.
The historic park where I set-up my Airstream, has proper and comfortable shower and bathroom facilities. . .So, the fact that this trailer wasn"t originally designed with a bathroom did not distress me. There are no signs of original bathroom plumbing, similar to the Airstream layout shown in the 1954 Airstream Flying Cloud brochure in the images. There are neither Black or Gray tanks - never were. Look closely at the PICTURES. I did reconstruct a semi-existing (read barely) existing "bathroom". The images with the Wild over the top crimson Architectural panels, and the bright blue mini sink constructed out of an 8 dollar Ollies stainless steel mixing bowl. . .I KNOW, I should have suppressed my flamboyant artistic tendancies! I don"t think there was anything that I didn"t tinker with or overhaul. I tried to accentuate the 1950"s vibe with vintage fixtures: from the period-correct circular kitchen light to the vintage scissor lamp and "explosion-proof" light in the rear cloud-mural and star bedecked sleeping area. Everyone also approves of the Large black and white (lexan covered) checker floor in the front custom bar area. The bright orange retro soda fountain stools, and the clinically bright counter tops add to the explosion of color and textures. I did every kind of work to make my little trailer liveable : propane, electrical, cabinetry, bodywork, flooring, suspension, lighting, design, and on and on. .
Besides the obvious visual "accomplishments" of the trailer work, there some pieces of information any prospective buyer would want to know:
Post-restoration everything is now functional and usable except,
1) During the exterior work, I removed the remaining original HADCO braking gear because all the wiring had deteriorated to nothing. I called the still solvent Southern California business and inquired about replacement brake parts for a (yes) 1954 Dinosaur. .They had NO parts and would only suggest tearing off the perfectly good original axle and replacing it all. No Thanks. The Airstream scales at 2840# empty. It was pulled from Oregon to PA, then PA to S Florida with no brakes with zero issues and according to "Dave" a pleasure to pull almost like it wasn"t there. I move it locally quite easily with my dangerously short wheel base 1994 Jeep Wrangler Sahara (4.0L in line 6 cylinder) at speeds under 45mph.
2) I completely rewired the running lights as the cloth wrapped wiring was gone in to the body. 41 hours later, 4 pin flat and red and green LEDS installed in the body trim and wiring routed under the belly skin.
3) The rear bed is a custom trapezoidal size of 85"x43" along rear window x4" wide. I added the perimeter cabinetry to house commonly used doodads that could be within reach at 2:00am ;). That work did minimize the original sleeping footprint with my easily remove able custom woodwork.
4) As I already mentioned, there were never tanks or a shower in this particular trailer.
5) I DID install the Wild sink and Porta pottie room. . .you may wish I hadn"t !?
6) I never used the oven - The stove , propane system, and original interior propane lights are now completely functional.
7) I cleaned the original hot water heater but never used it.(it looks functionally fine). As a still single guy, I take non married-guy short cuts like just using cold water or paper plates for dinner. I was still kicking and very healthy after my two 4-1/2 month cold water "experiments". If you are married I would just use It. .
8) I cut out the corroded Aluminum lower belly skin under neath the front of the trailer in order to more easily access the then future projects. . . and to Liberate a 45# rats nest which still contained the corpus delicti. He is in the belly image look closely. I did NOT attempt to resheath the front belly as it obstructs access and traps moisture, and I was deliberately suppressing my anal-compulsive Engineering tendancies. . My starting goal was to make my historic icon liveable, not to work on it forever.
9) I DO have Post-restoration parts: from the original probably functional propane refridgerator, to the bathroom door, to the HADCO heavy-duty 1954 brake components, and so on. . .
Cudos to you for enduring the incessant literary rambling. . .This synopsis provides a glimpse to give you a better idea of what you are looking at. . Check out all the pretty pictures, consult the kids, and your financial planner (wife). . . . A 1954 Airstream Flying Cloud California Whaletail (#31) is a timepiece worthy of consideration for ANY Life "bucket-list". . . don"t say "I WISH I HAD. . . ."