1951 Airstream Flying Cloud **SOLD**
69 years ago, Airstream built 55 Flying Clouds. We shudder to think how many of those have made their way to the great camp trailer park in the sky by now. Rare? You can bet you won’t pass another one coming the other way. Even better — this one sports the ever-cool, ultra-sought-after oval rear window. Sure, you could buy a lesser Airstream and add an oval rear window, but that would make you a bad person.
Thankfully, this Flying cloud found it’s way to Reparadise for a complete rebuild form the tip of the coupler to the bumper. You can read about everything that went into this build here, in our Portfolio section. In a nut shell, we kept the vintage vibe alive without over doing the glamp — using the best products and construction techniques we’ve come across to date.
What follows below is a video walk through, build photos, and bullet points of everything that went into this vintage Airstream.
When you’re re-doing a 1950s Airstream, leaving the interior intact and just cleaning it up is never an option. You inevitably start by gutting the trailer, where we try to save as much as much as possible. But, that usually isn’t much. In this case, it was the aluminum overhead cabinets. The rest is all new, from the closed-cell spray foam insulation out:
Interior walls insulated with closed-cell spray foam
Painted original interior panels with dove white
All new cabinetry
Radius-edge doors (like originals)
Non-knotty alder with Koko stain
Brushed aluminum countertop
Restored stove
Isotherm 130 fridge with stainless steel front
Edelman leather royal hide in fire red – $3000 in leather
Restored aluminum overhead cabinets
New blinds by Nelly’s Custom Drapery in Taylorsville, UT
As with many of the antique camp trailers that find their way into the loving arms of the Reparadise team, this one needed a full restoration. We try to save as much of the trailer as possible, but there was nothing worth saving below the belt-line:
New axle
New brakes
Pole-style chassis completely refurbished
New sub-floor
New Kingswood oak floor
Trailer connection
License plate bracket
Trailer tongue & bumper finished in heartthrob high gloss pink
Conclusion
This ultra-rare 1951 Airstream Flying Cloud is lean, mean, and cleaner than ever. We built this trailer to last another 69 years, at least. Can you see yourself parked next to a stunning mountain lake, soaking it up in this retro-fabulous Flying Cloud? Contact us for a personalized tour.