After featuring a few of these Spartan Campers, which have all fetched good money, we have been on the lookout for some more affordable examples. Obviously, just like any classic vehicle, cheaper examples tend to need work. This 1950 Spartan Mansion 30 footer needs restoration, but at $7,500 it looks like a really great option for anyone wanting to get one of these incredible trailers without breaking the bank! You can find it here on craigslist in Springdale, Washington. Special thanks to MattR for this tip!
As you can see, the interior is going to need a full restoration, but it appears that much of the original cabinetry is present. There is going to be a fair amount of woodwork required, but at least you will have the original panels to work from. One perk of buying one in this kind of condition is that you can customize it without having to feel bad about it. With some modern touches, this could be a really comfortable trailer to spend time in!
The Mansion was offered from 1948 to 1951 and it’s believed that just 1257 were built in that 4-year run. There was also the Royal, Imperial, and Executive Mansions, which were essentially longer versions of the Mansion. Being a base Mansion means this one is 30 feet long, verses 33 and 36 feet for the Royal and Imperial models, with the Executive coming in at an impressive 50 feet! If you want a trailer to see the world in, the smaller Mansion is probably the best balance of amenities and mobility. Can you imagine towing a 50-foot trailer in traffic?
The exterior is going to need some attention as well but appears to be in decent shape overall. There are a few dents that need to be popped out and some leaks to seal up. The seller states that it has good tires and that they can deliver it to Spokane, so I assume that means it’s structurally sound enough to be towed.
“…cheaper examples tend to need work.”
In this case, that is the understatement of the day.
I wonder what the tattered plastic is covering up? Busted window? A gouge in the side panel?
I remember watching an old Lucille Ball movie called “The Fifty Foot Trailer”.
I thought it was a joke. There actually were 50 foot trailers that people towed on holiday? Wow!
The Luci/Desi film was called the Long, Long Trailer. It was 35 ft. And not 50. FYI.
Correction! The movie was called The Long,Long Trailer.
And the car towing it was a 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible with the 255 flathead v8 producing 125 horsepower.
Watch closely, that Mercury turns into a Lincoln on the hills, I lost a bet on that issue!
Probably needed more horses for the hills. I’ll have to watch out for that next time I see it.
Spartan had and still has a school for training airplane techs. I wonder if they used them in production of these trailers? Good hands on experience.
I want to apologize, especially to Steve R, I went on a bit of a bender on the last trailer post, the Airstream bit, but I just don’t recall Airstreams mixed in with the other campers. That, and I was simply flabbergasted at the prices of new Airstreams, partially explaining the reason ANY camper is so expensive, but I’m still holding firm on my beliefs, $7500 bucks for this is off the wall. My old man, being a carpenter, I could see him taking something like this on, provided he got the trailer for nothing. He bought several campers unfinished, and did it himself, but I just don’t see anyone doing that nowadays, in this, “just pay the monthly premium and let’s go camping” crowd today. As a side bar, what would that be on a $40,000 dollar camper, couple grand a month? You got that kind of change to have something sit in the back yard 80% of the time? Maybe, but getting back to this, building materials, especially RV stuff is incredibly expensive, and in the long run, probably better off just buying that new one. Back to the woods it goes, the raccoons are missing their home,,,
Howard, I agree you’d have get something like this for next to nothing for it to be a viable proposition for restoration. Further, unless you’re going to live in it at least six months a year or are a collector, I’d think you’d be way better off renting a new one for even a fairly long vacation.
Price is a tad high, perhaps he’s just leaving room for negotiation. I’d jump on this if it wasn’t 2000 miles away. The vintage trailer community would love it! There’s room for profit if you flip, but more likely someone will pour time and money into it for themselves.
I have a ’56 Airstream… they really are special and the pricing goes along with the demand.
Burn it
It says $6500 now. I’d have to do a lot of research and see what is left of it to work with. Would be neat but my wife wouldn’t go for it anyway…
Water stains on the cabinetry, ceiling falling down, 2×4 supporting the roof—all point to roof leaks. Assuming this is aluminum skin over wood substructure, this one is too far gone to save.
Any one of these is probably best to set up more on a permanent basis, and then rehab.
No wooden substructure in Spartans. They were an aircraft builder during the war and started with the trailers in 1946 to try keep the plant going. Built like an aircraft fuselage. Only thin wooden strips attached to the aluminum arch ribs to attach the paneling to. I spent two years full time restoring a 36′ Imperial Mansion. The 50 footers came later and were a more like a modern mobile home permanently parked. Even these were not really meant for camping, did not come with any holding tanks or low voltage lighting. Were plumbed to services. They was a housing shortage with returning service men after the war, they marketed to these folks. So they were all aluminum except for the frame, my trailer is advertised at just under 6000lbs, and pulls quite easily. Also helps that it is low and fairly streamlined.
It is pretty rough though. That’s not a 2×4 holding up the roof, originally there was a wooden Venetian blind between it and the cabinet, sort of a room divider, behind it was the dining table.