The Airstream travel trailers of the 1950’s have an iconic shape and name recognition going for them. Fame and finger-pointing won’t come with the combination of a 1957 Spartan Imperial Villa mobile home and towable triple-axle trailer, and it’s not even a “vehicle” per se, more like a house you can move to the location of your choice. But this dynamic duo for sale here on eBay in Tucson, Arizona with an unmet $9,999 opening bid looks like it could offer value with very little work. It would make a great guest house, studio or even principal residence if you’re into those very popular tiny houses. Or just need shelter in these turbulent times.
The company that made this mobile home has a fascinating history. Spartan, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, began by building airplanes, including Navy trainers during World War II. The company was acquired by oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, who pivoted it to making aluminum travel trailers and mobile homes (using lightweight, aerodynamic skills gained via the airplane business) after the war was over. The doors were shut in 1962, but the Spartan School of Aeronautics endures to this day.
The two-bedroom Spartan is 10 feet wide and made of aluminum and paneled in birch wood. There’s a lot of wood inside, and it looks quite well kept. The original aluminum belly pan is still in place and properly sealed. The interior, with 410 square feet of living space, is something of a time capsule on what life was like when Eisenhower was in the White House. There’s a fairly spacious kitchen, with decent counter space, double sink, plus newer Tappan electronic ignition range and Magic Chef refrigerator/freezer. No “island” or Corian counter tops, but we’re in the ’50s here. Hot water is via an older 10-gallon heater. The bathroom (with both tub and shower) is quite large, too. The light fixtures are equipped with LED bulbs. The 110-volt electrical system is intact.
The owner is unusually detailed in describing the home, which was inherited from family members. Alas, Arizona won’t allow vintage trailers to be permanently located where they can be seen from the street. The original aluminum skin and roof are “in excellent condition with no coatings and the original burnish on the corrugated and sheet aluminum. All seams are watertight, with no caulking or sealants. There is some minor damage, including holes, dimples and tarp rub marks “that buff out with sodium bicarbonate and citric or acetic acid/vinegar.”
Inside, the woodwork and cabinets are very, very nice, with the exception of water damage and stains below three windows, dings on the movable dressers, some missing drawer fronts, and charring where the wall panel meets the floor outside the bathroom. The floor is “walnut parquet” linoleum in throughout, with ’70s-style vinyl in the kitchen and bathroom. All the windows and screens are good.
The trailer has six new F-rated commercial 15-inch tires with black aluminum rims (also new). It needs some things to be road legal, including a new RV plug and brake lights, plus safety chains and hooks. Anyone can tow it in Arizona; in California (a likely destination of this rig) you need a Class A commercial license, a mobile home moving permit and a pilot car. A logistics company can secure the necessary paperwork.
The old mobile home is sitting in a Tucson RV park waiting for its new owner. It could be a good place to wait out what’s left of the pandemic. What would you do with this Spartan? Does it look like home?
Comes with its own zip code.
Nice unit, and I travel from N. Central AZ to Tucson once in a while…
However, as someone who works daily with zoning, this quote is incorrect:
“Alas, Arizona won’t allow vintage trailers to be permanently located where they can be seen from the street.”
Like most states and jurisdictions, it depends on the local zoning. To say a state won’t allow it is far reaching.
many times it is the home owners assoc. that will not allow, or deed restrictions
I was quoting the owner.
Nice to see one with so much of the original interior intact. Still, meh. Starting to get that “seen one, seen them all” feeling.
Wow! Nice home for what they’re asking. Too bad the shipping costs to
get it here to Florida would be enormous. Last time I saw one was in a
very old adult trailer park in Winter Haven last Summer while I was looking
for a place to rent. In that same park,
I also saw two ’49 and one ’50 Spartan
along with the ’57 I saw as well. If you
dig vintage homes like I do, this park is
just the place you’d want to be. While most of the older homes there have add
ons, they are well maintained by the park
staff and in excellent condition. The name of the park is Lake Deer Mobile
Hamlet if anyone’s interested. Great
find!
Mercy sakes,, you’re going to need a K-Whopper to pull it. I can hear the CB now,,,”okay, portable housing project, you missed me”,,
BTW, the $9999 reserve has not been met, and the seller notes that a $14,000 down payment is required within three days, to give an idea of what they must be expecting the trailer to sell for…
Anyway, considering the aluminum construction, I would bet it’s not as heavy as you might think. At 10 ft. wide, it wasn’t designed to be used as a “travel trailer” anyway, which makes the aluminum construction sort of odd. I would be almost certain that this trailer DOES NOT have holding tanks for grey or black water like a “travel trailer” does and is what is called a “Park Model” trailer, which falls in between a mobile home and a travel trailer. It could be moved easier than a mobile home, but not designed for regular road use. Due to the fact that at the time this trailer was manufactured, “pickups”/ light (or even medium) duty trucks capable of towing a home of this type did not exist. A mobile home moving company would have been employed. Due to the fact that a mobile home mover that would have existed at the time of this trailer’s manufacture would have most likely employed a 2 ton truck (or larger), the weight of the trailer would not be an issue. A few years ago, I purchased a 34 ft. fifth wheel travel trailer for my dad to stay in when he visited, hoping he would transition to it full time (he passed away before doing so). This trailer, a 1994 Fleetwood has two slide outs and is designed for regular road use. It is listed as weighing just shy of 10k lbs. EMPTY. (It has a fiberglass outer shell and I am sure it has a steel frame.) My 2001 Chevy 3/4 ton diesel truck pulled it “OK”, but there is no way I would make it a regular habit. I was actually looking for a park model trailer like this Spartan, but had no luck. When the low priced Fleetwood became available, I decided it was good enough for our needs! (Not a fan of leak prone slide outs, or the step up required to access the bedroom over the truck bed.) No doubt it was priced so cheap because of its age and the fact that no one with good sense would want to drag a 10k lb. (empty) trailer up and down the highway every weekend with a 3/4 ton pickup. I would feel that a dual rear wheel 1 ton truck would be the minimum, due to the side wind loads possible with the tall over the truck bed fifth wheel set up.
I love it. If I had a lakeside lot without a house (and couldn’t afford to build one), this would be an ideal addition. The cost to buy/move/install could be made up in 2-5 years as an AirBNB (depending on location).
I could imagine living in that think myself. It’s amazingly spacious..
My thoughts exactly. A nice lakeside lot would be awesome for this vintage Spartan as a summer retreat. I would also polish the aluminum exterior to a chrome-like mirrored shine, making the beautiful lines and construction of this unique classic really stand-out. I’m almost tempted to make some inquiries based on this idea. Definitely something you don’t want to see parked in Felony Flats!!
My neighbor has a 1954 smaller version as a rental… I have worked on it extensively… asbestos on the sides of the stove, insulation that may or may not have asbestos, cloth covered burned wiring ….. as a museum piece, fine. To live in it as is with no renovation, no thank you . When I lived in a 1959 “Stearns” Mobile home built in La Habra, CA, I had enough of old mobiles …
Seller did not address any of those issues, and the interior appears to be intact with no evidence of any type of renovation to resolve those issues you had stated Fireman DK. Would have to go further to see if it would be a time consuming money-pit before making a serious inquiry. Thanks for the tip.
DK,
Also of concern should be the floor tiles in the living room. Those appear to be 9″ square. ALL 9″ hard floor tiles have asbestos in them, and they were attached [almost certainly] with mastic containing asbestos. When asbestos tiles became illegal to sell, all tile companies switched to 12″ tiles, so it’s easy to spot the asbestos tiles simply by size.
Most asbestos removal companies I’ve talked with over the last year are quoting prices of around $15 to $40 PER SQUARE FOOT to remove these tiles and comply with federal and state regulations for asbestos abatement. [I was looking at an older house to renovate, that’s how I know.]
Most Imperial villa living rooms are 10′ wide, and 16′ long [some are 20 ft long]. That’s 160 square feet. At $15 per square foot, that’s $2,400. At $40, that’s $6,400.
Note that it’s illegal to knowingly cover up an asbestos laden floor covering, with a different floor covering.
I lived in a 1954 Smoker trailer and enjoyed it. Second the wiring and plumbing comments. I commonly see these types of old trailers permanently parked in the beach side trailer parks in Mexico.
My father went to Sparten school of aeronotics on the GI bill after WWII
Actually quite a bargain for someone looking for a static park model trailer to live in, or say winter in, in Florida!
I don’t know where anyone gets the idea that you can just hook onto this and tow it away. ANYTHING over 8 1/2′ wide is an oversize load and requires special permits to move in every state you plan to go through. These aren’t intended to be towed like an average travel trailer, their intended to be set up permanently and left alone.