In the video below we join Patrick from New Jersey Outdoors for a tour of a classic vintage RV, a 1975 Argosy Motorhome. At the time Patrick shot the video, the motorhome was for sale, but the video is a few years old, so I have to assume it is no longer available. When he toured it, the Argosy motorhome only had 58,000 miles on it and the original generator only had 38 hours on it.
Airstream produced their lower-priced Argosy line from the 1970s to 1989, but most were trailers. Motorhomes like this one were produced between 1974 and 1979 and are far more rare. This 20-foot model is the smallest motorhome they made and the rarest of all, as Airstream only made 200 of them. It’s the size of a camper van but built on a Chevrolet P30 Class A chassis, including dual rear tires and dual exhaust pipes.
The interior of this vintage motorhome is all original, including the curtains and orange shag carpet it came with. It has yet to be restored, so it’s showing a bit of age. But overall it is in amazing shape.
The front dinette utilizes the cab seats and provides dining for four. It also converts to sleeping for two.
The cab itself is unique in that there is, of course, a driver’s seat, then an aisle, then a “mother-daughter” seat that accommodates two.
As it is all original, it has the sliding cabinet doors that Airstream made in the 1970s. I can attest after having owned a ’70s-era Airstream trailer, these are a pain-in-the-you-know-where and always breaking. So, it was surprising to see them intact here.
I was surprised the stove had only three burners and question if this is original. My ’70s-era Airstream trailer had a four-burner stove, as did my friends’ Argosy trailers. Even my 1990s-era Airstream B190 camper van did, too, and that is smaller than this Argosy motorhome.
I always loved Airstream’s bathrooms, and this is no exception. It might be a small motorhome, but it has a big bathroom.
Watch the video as Patrick takes care to document everything he can about this motorhome for history’s sake, and because the chances of anyone actually seeing one in the wild are slim. If anyone does find one and plans on restoring it, seeing all the systems and how they originally worked, and how the motorhome itself looked, will prove invaluable.
As a current Airstream dealer, Patrick truly appreciates the history and legacy of the brand; and as an Airstream enthusiast, I appreciate that.
RELATED
- Visiting the Airstream Heritage Museum and taking the factory tour
- Wally Byam’s white Airstream – restoring a part of RV history
- RV review: Vintage Airstream funeral coach
##RVDT2407
Thank you, Cheri! Very interesting RV! 🙂 Does need freshening, but appears to have very good “bones.” Can’t afford to collect RVs, but this would be one to get if I did. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂