Airstream

With the boom of RV ownership since 2001, Airstreams are more popular than ever, and restoration of older models is a passion shared by many.
. Club members join together for one large International Rally each summer (which by club rules always includes the dates of July 1 and July 4), and hundreds of smaller local rallies. It was also on Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list for 2000 and 2001. Later, the word "International" was added to the club name, resulting in the acronym "WBCCI". The TT was nominated for the North American Car of the Year award for 2000. An owner's club was formed in 1955 during one of these rallies, named the Wally Byam Caravan Club. The production car is expected to continue the use of the 3.2 L V6 engine, with 250 hp (186 kW), and to be offered in coupe and roadster forms.

This promoted a mystique which surrounded Airstreams and persists to this day. This concept featured angular styling and a "bread wagon" 2-door hatchback body style. Photos taken of the trailers in front of many famous tourist sites were common. A TT concept was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005. In the early 1950s, the Airstream company founder, Wally Byam, began leading groups of owners on travels to many portions of the world, where the towed trailers were quite remarkable. In August 2004, Audi announced that the next-generation TT will be made of aluminum and would go into production in 2007 estimated to go on sale for around £30,000. Airstreamers are a group of RVer's who have a community spirit because of their mutual love of Airstream travel trailers built by Airstream company of Jackson Center, OH. Audi is expected to reveal the second-generation TT in 2006 at the North American International Auto Show in January.

The company presently manufactures about 1,500 motorhomes and trailers per year. Sports car purists and driving enthusiasts, however, generally favor oversteer (which the Nissan 350Z exhibits) to understeer, as the former makes for a more involving and spirited driving experience. and still produces their traditional aluminum skinned trailers, along with a full line of motorhomes, and the recently added Basecamp trailers. Understeer is inherently a safer handling characteristic, as it is easier for novice and casual drivers to predict and control the vehicle (and thus the car can appeal to a much broader market). Airstream, based in Jackson Center, Ohio is owned by Thor, Inc. It should be noted, however, that the TT's handling character is deliberate, as Audi vehicles are generally designed to exhibit understeer (a characteristic determined by suspension design, the effect of the quattro all-wheel drive system, and other factors). A recent model the Skydeck, features bus like construction, and interior stairs leading to a fully appointed deck on the roof. It compares with the Nissan 350Z which has more grip.

These classic motorhomes were followed by production of fiberglass, more traditional looking models in the 90's, with versions of these still being sold today. Audi has developed the TT with some notable improvements, including a 3.2 V6, a lightened and power-boosted "quattro Sport" model, and a top speed of 155mph, however the handling and steering are considered by BBC's Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, to be "boring". The motorhomes began as 28 foot models, and in the eighties and nineties models ranging up to 37 feet were marketed. In October, 2004 a new DSG (dual-clutch) gearbox was offered along with a stiffer suspension. In actuality these were modified trailers, mounted on a step van chassis also modified for the motorhome. The original four cylinder engine range was complemented with a 250 hp (186 kW) 3.2 L VR6 in early 2003, which comes with the quattro all-wheel drive system. These began as painted aluminum 20 and 24 foot models, and were followed in 1979 by the first of their Classic model motorhomes, with an unpainted aluminum body, much like the trailers they are known for. All TT models were recalled in late 1999/early 2000 following concerns over the car's handling which was considered unstable under high-speed cornering as the result of throttle lift-off oversteer - a number of modifications were made, which were subsequently incorporated into all future examples: rear-wing spoilers were fitted (to reduce lift) and suspension settings were altered (to increase understeer).

In 1974 Airstream began manufacturing a Class A Motorhome, badged "Argosy". In 2001, a more powerful Quattro model was released which was equipped with a 225 hp (168 kW) engine which shares the same basic design but features a larger turbocharger, an additional intercooler on the driver's side, forged connecting rods, a dual exhaust, and a few other internals designed to accommodate the increase in turbo boost from roughly 10 psi peak to 15. Beginning in the mid 1970s Airstream also began manufactures a line of "Class A" motorhomes and "Class B" van campers. For the first two years of production (1999-build cars were sold as 2000 models), both front wheel drive and Quattro models featured a 180 hp (134 kW) version of this engine. By August of that year the first Ohio made Airstream rolled off the line, and the California factory was also moved to larger facilities in Santa Fe Springs. It was first available with a 1.8 L turbocharged inline four cylinder engine. In July 1952, a new facility in Jackson Center, Ohio,was established to serve the demand for the trailers. The TT uses a transversely mounted engine with front or quattro all wheel drive.

By 1948 the demand for Airstream trailers increased tremendously, with a wide range of models eventually being offered. The production model was launched as a coupé in September 1998, followed by a roadster in August 1999, based on the Volkswagen A platform used for the Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia and others. When World War II ended, the economy boomed and people’s attention once again turned towards leisure travel. The then-new B5-platform A4 model was a substantial improvement on its Audi 80 predecessor; these two models firmly secured Audi's position as a prestige marque. Byam decided that the best way to help the war effort was to use his experience with aluminum fabrication in the aircraft industry taking jobs at Lockheed and Curtis Wright for the rest of the war. No longer just a second-tier European maker (in the vein of Saab, Volvo et al), Audi emerged as a serious competitor for the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. closed its doors. The TT is often regarded as the vehicle that made people take a second look at Audi.

Airstream Trailer Co. The TT's influence can be seen in the design elements of many vehicles released after the TT. However, during World War II, leisure travel and the materials needed to build trailers both became luxuries most in the country could not afford. The success and popularity of the TT's iconic design gave many automotive designers (and manufacturers) greater latitude to experiment with bold, distinctive design. Of more than 300 trailer builders operating in 1936, Airstream was the only one to survive the Depression years. With its distinctive, rounded bodywork, bold use of bare aluminum (actually anodized aluminum), and a lack of defined bumpers, the TT represented a departure from much of the styling that dominated the car market at that time. introduced the “Clipper". While the car borrowed a few design elements from earlier vehicles, the overall design was considered by many to be truly unique.

On January 17, 1936, the Airstream Trailer Co. From its introduction as a concept car in 1995, and as a production car in 1998, the design was regarded by many as bold, innovative, and evolutionary. He incorporated aircraft construction methods to lower wind resistance and improving the trailer’s strength, while retaining light weight.His designs took on a more aerodynamic look. The TT's styling is regarded by many as a watershed moment in automotive design. During the mid 1930’s, company founder Wally Byam perfected his skill of combining form and functionality. The name is an abbreviation of "Tourist Trophy", an annual road race on the Isle of Man (see:Isle of Man TT), not "twin turbo" as is sometimes assumed (the car has one turbocharger ). In 1936, Byam introduced the "Airstream Clipper", which was essenntially a prototype of the now familiar rounded-cornered, silver aluminum Airstream trailer.Byam moved his operaton to Jackson Center, Ohio in 1952, where its headquarters still reside. The design is credited to J Mays and Freeman Thomas of Volkswagen's California design studio.

Byam a former Bowlus employee, purchased the designs and revised them, initially selling kits to customers wishing to build their own trailer. The TT was first shown as a concept car at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. The company was founded by Walter "Wally" Byam, who began building trailers in his backyard in Los Angeles during the early 1930s. . . The Audi TT is an automobile produced by Audi in Győr, Hungary. The design cuts down on wind resistance and thus improves gas mileage. Audi TT Car Club.

Airstream trailers are well recognized for their distinctive rounded aluminum bodies, which originated in the 1930s from designs originally created by Harley Bowlus and others. AutoGuideWiki.com. The company, which employs about 400, is owned by the Thor Industries. "Audi's TT replacement will be bigger", a Car Enthusiast article. Airstream is the name of a brand of recreational vehicle presently manufactured in Jackson Center, Ohio.