Bowlus
The Bowlus Road Chief is an American luxury travel trailer with a front door, aerodynamic shape[1] and polished aluminum body.[2]
William Hawley Bowlus designed and the Road Chief using his knowledge of aircraft construction.[3] Aspects of the design were used on the first Airstream trailers.[4] Bowlus stopped producing the trailers in 1936.
Production of a modernized, enlarged Road Chief resumed in 2013 in Oxnard, California.[5]
History
Founding and early years
The first Bowlus Road Chief was designed and built by William Hawley Bowlus in 1934.[citation needed] Hawley Bowlus was a designer, aerospace engineer and the builder of the Spirit of St. Louis aircraft.[6] From 1934 to 1936, over eighty Bowlus Road Chiefs were built at Bowlus’ family ranch in San Fernando, California.
In 1936, Wally Byam, who founded Airstream, adopted the Road Chief design for the Airstream Clipper after working for Bowlus as a salesperson.[7] In November of 1936, Bowlus stopped building travel trailers and did not transfer assets to another party.[citation needed]
Approximately half of the original Bowlus Road Chiefs have survived.[8] In a Scottsdale Gooding & Company auction, a vintage Bowlus Road Chief sold for $187,000.[7]
Modern Era
Bowlus Road Chief was revived by Geneva Long and her family in 2013.[9] The modern Road Chiefs are longer, wider and taller than the originals and are lightweight. The new Bowlus Road Chief is described as being the most advanced travel trailer in the world.[10]
The modern-era company is headquartered in Oxnard, California, and has showrooms in Nevada and California. The Oxnard facility serves as the design center and workshop. Each Road Chief is made with birch wood[11], 2024 T3 aluminum[12] and stainless steel countertops.[1] The company manufactures two models, On The Road and Endless Highways.
Technology
The Bowlus Road Chief was the first travel trailer to use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries.[13]. A Road Chief can run for up to a week without hookups.
Appearances
A Bowlus Road Chief appeared in the 1935 Hollywood movie Red Salute.[citation needed] Clark Gable and Carole Lombard owned a Bowlus Road Chief.[citation needed] In 2016, Bowlus Road Chief partnered withBentley[14] for the launch of the Bentley Bentayga during Monterey Car Week.
References
- ^ a b Potter, Everett (2018-12-11). "How a 20-Something Revived the Bowlus Road Chief". Forbes.
- ^ Neil, Dan (2015-09-16). "The Road Chief Is the Ultimate Camper". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- ^ Green, Penelope (2013-02-13). "On the Road Again". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- ^ Schwamborn, Dale (2015-04-16). "The Bowlus and the Clipper". Airstream blog. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
- ^ Barber, Megan (2017-11-14). "'30s-inspired aluminum trailer can go off-grid for a week". Curbed. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
- ^ Fogel, Gary (2016-09-07). "William Hawley Bowlus (1954)" (PDF). Unpublished. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ a b Ewing, Mark (2016-01-27). "The Road Chief Rides Again: The Lightweight and Modern Trailer with Vintage Roots". Forbes.
- ^ Arsenovic, Aleksandra (2013-02-11). "$100,000 Bowlus Road Chief – Sleeker than an Airstream". Extravaganzi. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ Barber, Megan (2017-11-14). "'30s-inspired aluminum trailer can go off-grid for a week". Curbed. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ Weiss, C.C. (2016-11-11). "Electrified trailer glamps off-grid for days and charges your Tesla, too". New Atlas. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ Szondy, David (2013-02-16). "Bowlus Road Chief updates 1930s classic caravan". New Atlas. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- ^ Vaughn, Mark (2016-02-13). "The Bowlus Road Chief may be the ultimate travel trailer; here's why". Autoweek.
- ^ "Bowlus Road Chief Lithium+, Is The World's First Lithium Powered Travel Trailer".
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ewing, Mark (2016-09-01). "Bowlus Road Chief Lithium + Teams With Bentley Bentayga For Monterey Car Week". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-09-23.