Airstream Unveils New Travel Trailer Concept Collaboration With Studio F. A. Porsche
Airstream’s riveted aluminum travel trailers are icons of the RV industry just as Porsches are icons of the automotive industry. These well-known, instantly recognizable brands recently put their signature design elements together to create a unique concept travel trailer, which the collaborators will debut at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals starting tomorrow, March 10, in Austin, Texas.
“Innovation is the art of discovering the possible,” says Airstream President and CEO Bob Wheeler. “Our collaboration with Studio F. A. Porsche brought talented new eyes and minds to our never-ending process of improving the Airstream experience. It’s a fresh design approach aimed at reaching a broader, more diverse base of potential customers.”
The Concept
The Airstream Studio F. A. Porsche Concept Travel Trailer has innovative features such as a pop-up roof for additional headroom inside and a lowering suspension that enables the trailer to be stored in a standard residential garage. The trailer will be showcased at Porsche’s SXSW exhibit with a 1/3 scale model of the trailer and a Porsche Macan tow vehicle. The collaboration coincides with Porsche’s 75th anniversary this year.
Innovative & Iconic Design
The innovative concept design has improved aerodynamics with a new rear shape to improve airflow while the trailer is on the road and a flush underside that is intended to reduce drag along with the first-ever lowering suspension and insulated pop-up roof in Airstream history. The trailer’s essential systems are incorporated into the chassis and interior for a sleek exterior. The ducted air conditioning is located above the floor to allow for the pop-up roof, with hot water and heating, the spare wheel, holding tanks, and the lithium battery located below the floor. The aerodynamic enhancements and lightweight carbon fiber and other composite materials create a trailer optimized for towing by electric vehicles.
The windows and skylights give the trailer a spacious feel and the redesigned rear hatch has a two-piece design with a hinge-up hatch and drop-down tailgate. Awnings can be attached for shade and expanded living space. The seating area converts to an 82- by 61-inch (2,083- by 1,549-millimeter) sleeping area, with reclining seat options that let travelers admire the view through the open hatch. The wet bath has a door that creates an enclosed area for privacy and swings freely to hide the toilet when not in use. This design creates more space in the galley, which has a hinge-up counter that extends in front of the entry door to create additional counter space.
“Like earlier concept vehicles, the Airstream Studio F. A. Porsche Concept Travel Trailer builds on Airstream’s design DNA and our commitment to aerodynamics to create a vision that is both familiar and excitingly new,” says Wheeler. “While our concept projects don’t always reach the marketplace, the resulting lessons and innovations often influence present and future designs as they make their way into our main product lines.”
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Source: Airstream