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1936 Airstream Clipper
1st Factory Built Airstream Known
(36 Airstream/37 Zephyr) Patriarch in a long line of classics, this 1936 Airstream Clipper carries the earliest
known Airstream serial number, and also reveals its close kinship to the pioneering William Hawley Bowlus design it was based
upon. Following Bowlus-Teller's closure in 1936, trailer builder and former Bowlus dealer Wally Byam purchased some of the
firm's equipment and also lured a number of former Bowlus workers into his employ. The resulting trailer, which Byam marketed
under the name "Airstream" to suggest effortless motion, naturally bore a striking resemblance to its predecessor. Yet Byam
also took the first steps in launching what became Airstream's creed of evolutionary refinement: In Bowlus's design, the door
had been placed above the hitch; Byam moved it to a more convenient position on the right side of the trailer, where it has
remained ever since. The tow car is a V12-powered Lincoln Zephyr; the photograph was taken in Penryn, California.
1935 Bowlus Roadchief
Road Chief The rear view of the Bowlus Road Chief accentuates its airplane like fuselage. Like an airplane,
the Bowlus's Duralumin skin was applied over aluminum ribs. One major design flaw of the Bowlus was the configuration of the
rear cats-eye windows, which tended to leak. The rear windows of this Bowlus have been covered over to prevent leaks. Seemingly
more airplane than trailer, Bowlus-Teller's Road Chief set a new standard in trailer technology. William Hawley Bowlus, a
brilliant sailplane designer whose Albatross glider set numerous records for nonpowered flight, put his experience put to
good use in the Road Chief's design. The trailer's Duralumin skin was applied over a lightweight, aircraft-style skeleton,
yielding a total weight of a mere eleven hundred pounds. As has often been the case with pioneering products, however, the
Road Chief's advanced design did not translate into strong sales. Bowlus-Teller was out of business by 1936, though its trailer
was soon reborn under new auspices.
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