1947 Curtis Wright Clipper

[47CW]

Thanks Brad - I agree on all counts. I would feel the same about people buying Jags and Rolls Royces and doing something bad to them - chopping the tops of and keeping chickens in the, for example!

Ok, so there are a couple of important differences...data on Rolls Royce chicken-shed conversions is limited and so I must assume it is not widespread - whereas, sadly I have seen with my own eyes that people are buying classic American trailers and turning them into burger vans.

Second major difference...Jaguar is now Indian and Rolls Royce is German - so perhaps a poor example of my own heritage - though I guess technically the old ones are. Oh, and no beef with the foreign ownership - our own fault for getting complacent and forgetting to tighten the screws up properly on the last ones we made!

I digress! I'm grateful for your response. I agree with your thoughts about people ruining rare trailers. Thanks also for your kind comments re hoping I will enjoy looking after my CW - made me feel 'welcomed'!

[Melody Ranch]

I am with you on that Brad. Welcome aboard....please stay with us and send pictures.

[rideair]

I'm personally not a big fan of stuff going either way unless it was built to be shipped to that market in the first place. If I want a car from that side of the pond, I'll find one that was built, shipped and sold here buy the dealer at that time and I'm a guy with three Triumph Heralds!

Much like farm land, once it's gone, it never comes back.

I doubt the hotdogs, coffee and rolls taste any different regardless if they are sold out of a new or vintage trailer. Sounds like a great biz opp to go over and start building them from scratch. Maybe it's a market that Airstream is missing out on. Small, vintage food cart trailers. Find it hard to believe you can buy a unit here, send across the pond, tear it down, cut it up, rebuild it cheaper than you could build the same trailer from scratch over there.

Enjoy,

[Jim Clark]

47CW

I understand Brad's feelings and I am glad you love your new trailer as much as I love my 58 MGA, 57 TR3 and my 76 TR6. I feel the same as Brad when I see a so called British Care Enthusiast cut one of these great British Sports cars up to stick in a big V8 or add some stupid air scoop. Enjoy your trailer and post some pictures.

Jim

[rob5301]

I'm not on here very often but I fully appreciate the concern about chopping Airstreams for burger vans.
There are not very many Brits that chop the airstreams........but I must say there are one or two U.S. citizens who don't have any scruples when it comes to selling an airstream for a very inflated price to "reluctantly" sell it for that purpose because they can't find the right buyer............absolute rubbish!
I've come into the Airstream Appreciation Society a bit later in life than most people.
After looking admiringly at them for many years, I now have a 1954 Globetrotter that has seen better days but is now on the road to recovery and as of last weekend I now have a 1956 Clipper...........both of which will be restored to their former glory and kept in and used by a very appreciatively family for many years to come.
Please don't be too despondent about the outcome of selling them to foreign buyers, I think the assumption of the burger van re-birth may be a bit exaggerated.......there are plenty of new owners only too willing to give them a good future.
One observation I must make is that while parts for Airstreams are readily available, parts and history for Clippers are difficult to acquire..........or have I started another thread by saying that........???

[NJtoNC]

rob, you made me think about that. with 11 airstreams in the port in just one day, far more are going over then we think.

i suppose we only hear about the ones chopped up for food vending b/c it is a business and they are marketing themselves, and we hear about it and see it. I suppose not nearly as many owners who are restoring and using them and wanting the world to know it; out of sight, out of mind.

I am torn every time i see a vintage unit chopped - here or overseas.