Airstream

Airstream was created by Wally Byam who began building Masonite trailers in Los Angeles during the late 1920s. In 1936, Byam introduced the "Airstream Clipper", which was essentially a rebadged 1935 Bowlus Road Chief, with the door relocated from the front to the side. The design cut down on wind resistance and thus improved fuel efficiency. It was the first of the now familiar sausage-shaped, silver aluminum Airstream trailers. In 1936, the first Airstream was introduced. It sold for $1,200 (equivalent to about $30,000 in 2025) and was able to house four people with electric lights and a water supply. Of more than 400 travel trailer builders operating in 1936, Airstream was the sole survivor of the Depression.

During World War II, travel became a luxury most could not afford and non-military industries faced an acute aluminum shortage. When World War II ended, the economy boomed, and people's attention once again turned towards leisure travel. Byam's company went back into production in 1948. In July 1952, a new facility in Jackson Center, Ohio, was established. 1979 saw the last Airstreams to be manufactured in California.

During the 1970s energy crisis, Airstream launched a line of painted travel trailers in the same 'twinkie' shape as Airstreams that the company dubbed the Argosy. At first, Airstream did not market the Argosy relationship with Airstream. This changed in 1973. Argosy travel trailers of this shape were manufactured from 1972 to 1979 in a factory Versailles, Ohio. These trailers were also built largely of aluminum like their Airstream brethren, but the external panels were painted and the interior components were lighter and less expensive, making lighter travel trailers that would take less fuel to pull. The list prices were also lower than that of Airstreams.

Other differences between Airstream and Argosy were the galvanized steel endcaps featured on the Argosy, as well as the Argosy panoramic front windows—the first to appear on an Airstream-produced trailer. The steel endcaps required paint to avoid corrosion and rust.

While the Argosy of this shape were no longer made after 1979, Airstream produced a rectangular version of the Argosy from 1986 to 1988. The company also briefly produced a fifth wheel version. The company produced rectangular versions of the Airstream Land Yacht, often referred to as 'squarestreams'. This version of the Airstream, as well as all versions of the Argosy, were not allowed into the Wally Byam Caravan Club for many years.

In 1974, Airstream began manufacturing a Class A motorhome, which were also badged as Argosy. They were followed in 1979 by the first examples of the Classic model motorhome, with an unpainted aluminum body much like the trailers.

In 1981, Airstream's Commercial Vehicle Division marketed a Class A motorhome as a funeral coach. It was designed to transport family, flowers and the deceased from the funeral home to the cemetery.

The aluminum motorhomes were followed by more traditional-looking fiberglass models in the 1990s. Airstream discontinued the manufacture of Class A motorhomes in 2006.