airstream 345 motorhome
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Airstream 345. Unit for sale of this flagship of the dean brand

PHOTOS AIRSTREAM 345: HEMMINGS

Caravans airstream They are a classic of traveling with the house in tow. In fact, so much so that their vehicles were part of outer travels. And no, we are not talking about hears or the ken kesey's bus with beatniks soaked in lysergic acid. We are referring to your role with the transportation of astronauts in the Kennedy Space Center, since for decades they went and returned from their ships in Airstream caravans.

Through their televisions, millions of people watched the brand new creations of the Ohio company headed for space rockets. What better advertising campaign? To have one of these metallic caravans was to be, to a certain extent, part of the colonization of space. Kind of like when you look at your FIAT and think "Well, some of the Ferrari cars will be my turn."

Of all those units prepared for NASA there is one that acquired special fame: the astrovan. Based on a 1983 Excella, it served for years as a carrier for the Space Shuttles. However, today we will not talk about her, but about one of her older sisters: the Airstream 345. The flagship of the brand, of which very few units remain. One of them is this one that we have seen for sale in California.

FROM SHEPHERD TO BODYMAN: WALLY BYAM'S CURIOUS DRIFT

The biography of the founder of Airstream seems to be taken from a story by Mellvile or Jack London. One of those adventurous lives typical of American fiction. Not in vain, Wally byam was born on the 4th of July. Right on the day of the American national holiday. Something had to be noticed, so as a teenager he went to live in the great prairies as if he were a Wild West settler. It was there, working as a pastor, that he got used to the world of portable homes.

Shortly after, he moved to glittering Hollywood, where he got a job at the Los Angeles Times. However, carrying the house on his back was still ringing in his head. As it was, during the 20s adapted a Ford T to motorhome. Proud of his work, he sent a report of it to Popular Mechanics magazine. The success was immediate; thousands of Americans got down to business replicating Byam's idea.

That's when our ingenious character saw the reef: starting a motorhome company. And boy did it hit the spot! Airstrem still exists, employs about 800 workers and It is the oldest brand in the sector since its foundation in 1931. A very bad date a priori to start a business; in the middle of the Great Depression. However Byam knew how to take advantage of a harsh paradox: that many Americans lost their homes, he threw them into caravans not as a form of leisure, but as a housing solution.

AIRSTREAM 345. THREE AXES FOR AN APARTMENT WITH WHEELS

Obsessed with the lightness of his creations Wally Byam used aluminum profusely, giving their models that characteristic metallic color. This became Airstream's hallmark, and it is rare to see one of their motorhomes in a color other than pure shiny aluminum. The Airstream 345 is no exception, even less if we take into account that it was the flagship of the company from 1984 to 1990.

A beast with the proportions of a bus, powered in this case by a Chevy 454. This eight cylinder began to be produced in the 70s, and thanks to its robustness and great torque even in low gears at low revs it is perfect for vehicles like the Aistream 345. In fact, Chevrolet still produces this engine today, equipping with he motorhomes, trucks and other heavy vehicles designed for leaden cargo.

Thanks to the Chevy 454 the Airstream 345 can carry extensive equipment in which you have two beds, two sofas, a kitchen, a full bathroom, open spaces where you can move ... In short, an apartment with wheels where you will not miss the comforts of a static home. What's more, this unit is in perfect condition. Of course, we would renew the bedding. Otherwise she is most enjoyable.

P.D. As we have said before, of the Airstream 345 not many units were manufactured. To this must be added the fact that finding one in Europe is very difficult. The last one we have seen in the European market was auctioned by Catawiki in 2015. It was a unit registered in the Netherlands, which was expected to lower the deck by 39.000 / 51.000 euros. It finally made it to 30.000.

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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