Description
Offered for sale
1950 Completely Original Silver Streak Clipper ( aka Alien Eyes ).
This unit was discovered in Nevada, USA and shipped to Mallorca, Spain.
The unit is complete and original.
All Original interior and patina. ( Unpolished - a reference pictures of a polished SS Clipper can be found here as well ).
Most likely the only completely original unit in this outstanding condition in existence. )
Please note that this unit is 75 years old and has never been tampered with. The trailer never left California and has been stored previously in the Nevada desert ie never exposed to a wet climate.
Serial No. 2087
Model: 7
Year: 1950
Asking price: Eur 45. 500
Design
The Silver Streak Clipper was designed by the Curtis Wright Company, an aircraft manufacturer, and sold to Kenny Neptune, James “Pat” Patterson, and Frank Polito in 1949.
Construction
The Silver Streak Clipper was made with all-aluminum construction, including stamped, heat-treated transverse ribs. It also had fiberglass insulation in the walls and ceiling, dual-pane side windows, and Lucite ones in front and rear.
Features
The Silver Streak Clipper had Warner electric brakes, and electric refrigeration was optional. History
1949-1997
Silver Streak Trailer Company – El Monte, California
From 1940 to 19489, the Curtis Wright Company (not to be confused with the Curtiss-Wright aircraft company) produced trailer coaches. When Curtis Wright closed in April 1949, a new company named Silver Streak acquired the rights to produce one Curtis Wright model called the Clipper and possibly some of the tooling necessary to build it. Silver Streak was begun by Kennth “Kenny” Neptune, Frank Polito, and James Victor “Pat” Patterson, all three of which were former Curtis Wright employees. Patterson was also Curtis Wright’s son-in-law, married to his daughter Marjorie. In the 1957, Neptune and Polito bought out their partner Patterson. Patterson and another former Curtis Wright employee, Harry Lovett, then founded the Streamline Trailer Mfg. Co.
Ethe Curtis Wright Clipper had been introduced in 1947. It was designed by Wally Byam who founded the Airstream Company in 1931 and introduced the Airstream Clipper in 1936. Airstream shut down in 1941 and Wally Byam worked for Lockheed during the war years. In mid to late 1945 Wally Byam joined Curtis Wright and in late 1946 he designed the Curtis Wright Clipper which was an evolution of his earlier Airstream Clippers. Curtis Wright continued to build the Clipper after Wally Byam left the company in early 1947 to restart Airstream. In April 1949, Silver Streak acquired the rights to the Clipper from Curtis Wright and it’s first Clippers looked exactly like Curtis Wright Clippers. They were built in El Monte, CA, just 5 miles from the old Curtis Wright factory, likely by many of the same employees. After reshaping the front and rear Plexiglas windows in 1950, front and rear glass windows that actually opened became an option in late 1953. Silver Streak trailer models continue to evolve in the years and decades that followed.
Manufacturer Information
Silver Streak Trailer Company in El Monte California was originally located at 1166 Chico St. and later moved to 2100 block of Chico St.
In 1986 another company wanted to buy the land the factory was sitting on. Polito and Neptune sold the land. At the time that Pollito and Neptune sold the land the factory General Manager was Rolf Zushlag. The partners had hired Zushlag from Airstream in 1978. Zushlag made a deal with the two partners for patterns and all machinery. He stayed at the South El Monte site for 12 to 14 months and then found a place in Chino, CA. There were no l987 models manufactured due to the move. Zushlag continued building custom built Silver Streaks until 1997. Both founders are still alive and live in the Los Angeles area. Mr. Zushlag, after closing the factory, is still active in the Los Angeles area in other business activities.
The company came out with the Sterling series trailers in 1985. This trailer had black trim and the gold trimmed trailer was discontinued. Silver Streak never built over 6 trailers per week. There was a national Silver Streak organization from 1968 to 1997. It was officially disbanded at the St. George, UT National rally when only 28 trailers showed up. There is still a Houston area club and they are planning a Regional rally at Burnett, TX between San Antonio and Kerrville this year on May 6, 2000.
According to Mr. Ashby, who has refurbished and sold over 110 Silver Streaks, it is his opinion the Silver Streak is a far better trailer than the Airstream, based on overall construction and a substantially stronger frame. In addition, unlike the Airstream construction, the Silver Streak skin was built right on the trailer frames. All internal structures and appliances were then placed within the shell through the entry.
The vents on the side of the trailers were placed there as “weep” holes. They resulted in condensation inside the trailer in very cold climates. Mr. Ashby recommends caulking them closed. Mr. Ashby has numerous Silver Streak parts including Hadco axles and grease seals and aluminum segments for the front and rear of some models.
No shop manuals or parts manuals were ever developed by the Silver Streak Co. The only manuals that were developed were the Silver Streak Owners Manuals provided with new trailers.
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S/ S moved to Chino, Ca in 1987, as it was “purchased” by Rolf Zuschlag around that time. I was first hired as a welder, but the only production person that followed the move to Chino quit and that left me as the sole employee to manufacturer, what was supposed to be the last S/ S to be made. I managed to finish the trailer, a 26′ unit that was pulled by a VW Thing. The unit was featured in an issue of RV World. (I think that’s the magazine) The unit was dragged all over Mexico by the Thing. We were true experts on saving weight and maximizing storage space. Incidentally, that unit was ordered by the same person that eventually ordered and received the very last unit built in 1995.
