Retro Home On Wheels: A 1962 Airstream Globe Trotter

This is a 1962 Airstream Globe Trotter, specifically it’s the 19 foot long single-axle version, and it now benefits from a full restoration that includes an all new interior.

This is one of the smaller Airstream models, which means it can be towed by a wider variety of vehicles. Despite its size it’s fully equipped with a bathroom including toilet and shower, a kitchenette, lounge area, and a forward dinette area that converts into a double bed.

This restored 1962 Airstream Globe Trotter is the 19 foot single-axle version, this means it can be towed by a wide range of cars and doesn’t need a larger vehicle for towing duties.

The story of Airstream began with a man named Wally Byam. In the 1920s, Byam began experimenting with a simple camping tent on a Model T chassis. But soon, the tent transformed into a teardrop-shaped permanent shelter made from plywood, and the first Airstream trailer was born.

By 1936, Airstream introduced the Clipper, a futuristic and streamlined aluminum trailer. The aerodynamic design was not only aesthetic but also efficient, reducing wind resistance and improving fuel efficiency for the towing vehicle.

It’s worth noting that the first aerodynamic aluminum travel trailer was designed by Hawley Bowlus, the same designer and engineer who also oversaw the construction of the Spirit of St. Louis – the first aircraft to compete a solo non-stop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France in 1927.

After the war, Airstream resumed production of their aluminum travel trailers, and by the 1950s, the brand had become the most recognized trailer in the world. With the rise of America’s highway system and a booming economy, road trips became a favorite pastime, and Airstream was there to meet the demand.

The interior and exterior have been fully restored, the Airstream now has a bathroom with a toilet, shower, and tub, a kitchenette, a couch, and a dinette area. It can be quickly converted to sleep up to four people.

This Airstream has a sleeping capacity of four, a sofa area, a kitchenette, and a bathroom with a shower, bathtub, toilet, and sink. There is plenty of cabinet space both overhead and under the sofas, and all of the windows are fitted with matching white curtains.

Additional amenities include a folding entry step, a Norcold refrigerator, a two-burner stovetop, a furnace, a water heater, and dual ceiling vents. It also has twin propane tanks, wastewater (blackwater) tanks, a freshwater (potable) tank and pump, and a 500 watt power supply/charger.

This Airstream Globe Trotter is now being offered for sale out of Silverton, Oregon on Bring a trailer with manufacturer’s literature, accessories, spare parts, and a clean Oregon title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.

Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer

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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.