Bud Cooper was the founder of the WBCCI Vintage Airstream Club. As if nurturing the club wasn’t time consuming enough, he decided to restore an abandoned 1948 Airstream. It was beyond all good reason but as a retired mechanical engineer, he needed to keep his mind busy. This trailer is the result. I was his wingman on the project and his son. It was a great excuse to spend time with my dad. Shortly before my father passed away, a President of Airstream wrote that, “Bud Cooper is the foremost authority on the history and restoration of Airstream trailers.” The photos pretty much tell the story. As you can tell, it is a brand new trailer under an old skin. Here are the specifics - A new substantial frame was designed and built with a new torsion axel, steel wheels, new drum brakes and tires. It has a wet bath with shower, so has fresh water, GREY water and black water system. New hot water heater and propane furnace. Restored original stove, stainless/aluminum kitchen cabinet, sink and ice box converted to gas/12V/110V. New mattress and bed frame at rear. Many of the cabinets are original. It has been kept as close to “period” as possible. Has received innumerable awards, featured in many articles and was a story on the History Channel. This trailer should NOT be just a show piece. It should be camped in and enjoyed. Its super easy to tow, under 3500 lbs all loaded for a weekend trip and more aerodynamic than modern Airstreams. I have enjoyed camping in it for up to 5 months at a time.
