This is a 1963 Airstream Safari 22’ that now benefits from a full restoration back to near original condition throughout, making it ideal as a retro home-on-wheels for 2-4 people.
These classic Airstreams have become cultural touchstones with their aviation-inspired aluminum bodies and sleek aerodynamic styling. Many vintage Airstreams are now being restored and returned to the road, and there are thriving owner’s clubs around the world.
The interior of this Airstream Safari 22′ has been beautifully restored back to original 1960s-era condition, making it a time capsule of sorts.
Airstream: A History Speedrun
The story of Airstream begins in the 1920s with Wally Byam, a man whose passion for adventure and camping would help reshape the American road-tripping experience.
Byam, a Stanford graduate and former advertising professional, first experimented with travel trailers when he built a simple, teardrop-style camper on a Model T chassis. His early designs were intended to make camping more comfortable, particularly for his wife, who wasn’t fond of sleeping on the ground in tents.
By the late 1920s and early 1930s, as more Americans embraced the concept of cross-country motor travel, Byam refined his designs and, in 1931, officially founded Airstream in Los Angeles, California. His goal was to create lightweight, aerodynamic trailers that could be towed efficiently while providing all the comforts of home.
The first true Airstream trailer, the “Clipper,” was introduced in 1936. Its riveted aluminum body was inspired by the sleek, aerodynamic design of the Bowlus Road Chief – this set it apart from the boxy, wooden travel trailers common at the time.
The Clipper’s streamlined shape reduced aerodynamic drag and improved fuel efficiency in the towing vehicle, a key advantage in an era when automobiles had modest horsepower – usually well under 100 bhp at the rear wheels.
The kitchen has an over, a four burner stove top, a refrigerator, and a tap with two sinks.
Airstream’s rise was temporarily halted during World War II when aluminum production was redirected toward the war effort, aircraft in particular. However, in the post-war period, demand for travel trailers surged as Americans sought adventure. Byam revived Airstream and refined his designs further, incorporating lessons learned from aviation.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Airstream trailers became synonymous with adventure, and their reputation for quality (and longevity) attracted a dedicated following around the country.
The company benefited from a growing fascination with travel, particularly with the expansion of the U.S. highway system. Airstream’s popularity also extended beyond the average consumer—NASA used Airstream trailers to transport and quarantine astronauts during the Apollo program. The most famous of these was the “Astrovan,” which shuttled astronauts to the launch pad.
The Airstream Safari 22’ Shown Here
This is an Airstream Safari 22’ from 1963, right in the middle of what many consider to be the golden age of the company.
The 22′ Safari model was designed to be smaller and more lightweight, while still offering four berths, a fully-equipped bathroom, and a fully-equipped kitchen as well as a dinette set for four people.
The riveted aluminum body of the Airstream is impervious to rust and rot, as a result many have survived to the modern day and are now being restored.
This example has been sympathetically restored to close to original condition, offering an accommodation experience very close to what Airstream owners in the 1950s and 1960s would have experienced as they travelled across the United States.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Southampton in the United Kingdom on Car & Classic and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of Car & Classic
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.