March 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the Argosy travel trailer– a lower recognized however however precious item in Airstream history. With its immediately identifiable painted outside, the Argosy line reached a brand-new market and offered a crucial testing room for item advancement. Let’s have a look back at how everything started.
The Argosy story started in the early 1970s as Airstream was seeking to participate in the mid-priced travel trailer market. The business acquired a plot of land in Versailles, Ohio ( 36 miles down the roadway from Airstream’s Jackson Center plant) to build a factory to develop this brand-new travel trailer. In the Fall of 1971, building and construction started on the 117,000 sq. ft. center. Although the name of this brand-new item had actually not yet been launched, the vision was to develop a travel trailer that would appear like a member of the Airstream household. Management at Airstream revealed that the brand-new factory would at first use around 200 partners consisting of some transfers from the Jackson Center factory.
In February 1972 the name of this brand-new line of product was exposed– the Argosy. Called after a big merchant ship, Argosy accepted the enduring Airstream custom of including nautical names into design names such as the Clipper, Flying Cloud, and Carvel. With its own design and logo design, Argosy was poised to end up being an appropriate sub-brand.
Argosy model beyond Versailles center.
On March 1, 1972 production started on the really first Argosy. This 26′ design was finished on March 21, 1972 and delivered to Northwoods Trailer Sales in Mt. Morris, Michigan (an Airstream dealership given that 1963). According to the October 1972 sales report, the brand-new factory produced 10 travel trailers a day and had actually started delivering to dealerships around the United States and Canada. One Argosy had actually even been delivered to a dealership in Germany. At first used in 4 lengths (20′, 22′, 24′ and 26′), Argosy production started as a batch kept up the exact same size and design being produced one after another, although this method would later on be deserted.
While the riveted aluminum, aerodynamic structure of the Argosy looked comparable to an Airstream, cheaper devices and part permitted the item to be used at a lower rate point. The Argosy’s painted outside camouflaged its galvanized steel end caps in addition to harmed aluminum panels which were periodically utilized. In 1973, Argosy costs varied from approximately $1500-$ 3500 less than similar Airstream costs. To keep expenses down, Argosy used a 12-month assurance instead of the Airstream life time assurance.
Airstream management hoped that the Argosy client would accept the recreational vehicle way of life and ultimately trade approximately own an Airstream. Although Argosy owners were not at first qualified for subscription in the Wally Byam Caravan Club, it was promoted that the Argosy became part of “the Airstream pedigree.”
According to a 1973 ad, “Developed by Airstream, the leaders of the trailer market, the Argosy brings the delight of travel experience within the reach of almost every fun-loving household. If you’re looking for a travel trailer of high quality at moderate expense, if you require genuine engineering and a service program you can depend upon … then the Argosy is suggested for you.”
1972 Argosy.
1972 Argosy interior.
In addition to supplying access to brand-new markets, the Argosy line likewise offered a crucial testing room for brand-new item advancements which, if effective, might be later on integrated into the primary Airstream line. A few of these item developments i ncluded wrap-around windows, rear door/front bed designs, and more.
Possibly among the most considerable item developments to happen in the Argosy line was the 1974 intro of the Argosy Motorhome. As the business’s very first venture into the motorhome market, the shape of the Argosy Travel Trailer was adjusted to fit the drive-train of the brand-new Chevrolet chassis. Including a semi-monocoque, stress-skinned structure, wrap-around windows, and a painted beige outside, the Argosy Motorhome was at first used in 20 and 24 feet. Quickly, Airstream likewise used the Argosy Compact Bus, an industrial item imitated the Argosy Motorhome, which ended up being popular with community transportation systems and comparable customers. Airstream’s California plant started producing the Argosy Motorhome by 1976. A testimony to the success of the Argosy Motorhome, the Airstream Motorhome was presented in 1979.
1977 Argosy Motorhome.
Argosy Compact Bus for Circus Circus in Las Vegas.
Another considerable item advancement in the Argosy line was the 1977 intro of the Argosy Minuet. Promoted as the lightest self-contained travel trailer worldwide, the Argosy Minuet was created to be pulled by a compact cars and truck and included developments consisting of an aluminum composite subfloor.
As an economic crisis and gas crisis struck American chauffeurs hard in the late 1970s, it did the exact same to Airstream. In an effort to improve production procedures, both the Jackson Center and California factories started to produce Argosy Travel Trailers in 1978. Nevertheless, after a relocate to combine, Airstream closed its California factory at the end of the 1978 design year and the Versailles factory stopped production of Argosy Travel Trailers in late 1978. For a quick time, a couple of Airstream Motorhomes were produced in the Versailles factory however eventually the Versailles plant completely closed and was offered to the Midmark Corporation in 1981.
The initial Argosy line was terminated after design year 1980 however the Argosy brand name was quickly reanimated in the middle of the years with the intro of the 1986 Argosy Travel Trailer which included a square body design and bonded aluminum skin. In 1988, Airstream presented the Argosy 5th wheel. Both the Argosy Travel Trailer and the Argosy 5th wheel would eventually be changed by the likewise styled Airstream Land Private yacht.
For numerous Airstream history lovers, the Argosy holds an unique location in our hearts. Today, Argosy owners are welcome members of the Airstream Club International and a number of them have actually handled remediations utilizing the Argosy’s paintable surface area as a platform for imaginative self-expression. Join us this month as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of this ingenious Airstream cousin.
