Skip to main content

This Vintage Travel Trailer Just Sold at Auction for a Ton of Money

Darin Schnabel ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Travelers today are a pretty spoiled bunch. Modern trailers have every creature comfort we could possibly need, from cozy beds to bathrooms and even air conditioning. Tow-alongs today are so comfortable, many are choosing to live in them fulltime, turning their camper into their home. But this wasn’t always the case. Stepping inside a Pierce-Arrow Travelodge from 1937 shows us that even the most luxurious trailers of the classic era would be considered “roughing it” today.

With RM Sotheby’s auctioning off an authentic, beautifully preserved Pierce-Arrow Model C Travelodge, there was a chance to see what luxury travel looked like in the 1930s. With the Great Depression still going on, few people were heading out on extended trips by car. Those who could afford it looked to travel trailer makers like Pierce-Arrow to ensure maximum comfort on the road.

Recommended Videos

Pierce-Arrow, a car manufacturer from 1901-1938, created the Travelodge to accompany their line of high-end vehicles. Considered the most luxurious trailer of the time, the Travelodge had all of the latest comforts of home. The built-in dinette with booth seating folds down into a bed. There is an insulated icebox and a camp-stove for storing food and preparing meals. Travelers can even enjoy fresh water thanks to a sink equipped with a hand-pump that can be hooked up to a water source once at the campsite. An extra touch of luxury is the inclusion of a wood stove for keeping warm on chilly nights.

At 13.5 feet long, the Model C was the smallest trailer in the Travelodge line. Back in 1937, it sold for a whopping $784.

And now in 2019, that same trailer sold at auction for a cool $44,800.

The Model C sold by Sotheby’s has many of the original high-end finishes it came with, keeping the authentic, historic look intact. The exterior is covered in sheet aluminum riveted to a steel frame. Pierce-Arrow put as much thought into their trailers as their cars and the Travelodge includes hydraulic brakes and a fully independent suspension.

The wood-lined interior is done in birch and gum while the floors are linoleum. The owners who put the trailer up for auction included several period pieces to enhance the vintage vibe including blue speckled camping dishes, a three-piece set of leather luggage, and a Philco table radio. It all works together to take visitors back in time to the early days of the classic American road trip.

If you’re in search of a modern, futuristic travel trailer, skip this vintage beauty and oopt instead for the Polydrop.

Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
Say hello to Porsche’s latest Carrera and Targa 911s
You can still have a lot of fun with an AWD 911
New AWD 2025 911 lineup featuring two Carreras and a Targa

Porsche fans have three new 911s to choose from. The German performance brand has announced two new Carrera 4S variants, a cabriolet and a coupe, along with a new Targa 4S.

All three vehicles are packing an all-wheel drive system, and the newly announced vehicles now make up half of all AWD 911 options. With Porsche being Porsche, it's not the safety and stability-centered AWD you may be used to. Instead, the manufacturer claims that its "extensively revised powertrain gives the all-wheel-drive sports car a significant boost in emotionality compared to its predecessor models." We believe roughly that translates to "it's better in terms of grip and overall performance, but you can still have some fun in it."

Read more
Arkonik’s Heritage Works revives the golden age of Land Rover design
Defender purists take heed, the Arkonik World Heritage 90 and 110 are the real deal
Marine blue Arkonik Heritage Works 110 parked in an empty warehouse left front three-quarter view.

Land Rover resto-mod company Arkonik Ltd. recently introduced Heritage Works, a line of reimagined Land Rover Defender 90 and 110 models that celebrate the core function, charm, and romance of the iconic Defender. Land Rover discontinued the original Defender in 2016 after 67 years, to the dismay of fans and former owners.

The Arkonik Heritage Works 90 and 110 are old school, built for function and utility rather than luxury, just like the original Defender.
Rubbish, Land Rover still makes a Defender

Read more
The Ferrari Amalfi is here to replace the Roma—and raise the bar
Ferrari is finally fixing its infotainment system, and some other things
Front view of a 2027 Ferrari Amalfi

Ferrari has announced its replacement for the Roma, and this time they've taken the name a little further south. The "Ferrari Amalfi" will debut in 2027 and aims to blend "modern elegance and high performance." To be fair to Ferrari, first impressions make it seem like it's achieving those goals in several ways.

Right off the bat, you can see that some design elements, as with its predecessor, may divide opinions amongst prancing horse fans. There's nothing overly controversial about it, but attempts to add modern styling elements to a vehicle from one of the world's greatest legacy manufacturers will undoubtedly upset someone, somewhere. However, it is hard to criticize the vehicle's sporty, sleek, and distinctly Ferrari side profile.

Read more