American Retro Caravans' “Teardrop” Trailer Reanimates Classic Airstream Design

The team in question here is American Retro Caravans (ARC). However, don’t be fooled by the name of the company as this team is based out of the United Kingdom and seems to be considered one of the country’s leading vintage Airstream and American RV restoration specialists. Don’t worry, you’ll be getting to know more of their work in detail over the coming weeks as they’re dang good at what they do.

Today you won’t be getting to see one of their restoration jobs, but rather, their one and only teardrop trailer. As you get to know the ARC Teardrop, you’ll quickly see resemblances to classic American teardrop trailers, but their own British touch has been applied as well; after all, it’s still a product meant to stand apart from others.

Now, look at the images in the gallery and then come back to the text as it’ll make a whole lot more sense to have a visual aid for this process. One thing to know about ARC is that they employ the same building techniques that Airstream does, in the process of reanimating vehicles that are as Airstream as possible.

Because this crew specializes in building with Airstream techniques, the Teardrop uses the same building principles, materials, and techniques as the well-known American brand. Yeah, you could say that you’re buying an “Airstream” teardrop trailer made in the U.K.

As it stands, the Teardrop comes in with a lightweight design but includes a decently spacious interior. With a weight coming in under 750 kg (1,653 lbs), a length of 10 ft (3.05 m), and a width of 5 ft (1.5m), the manufacturer’s website shows the trailer being towed behind a Mini Countryman, although, that’s a decently capable vehicle. I wonder if grandma's Camry will do the trick. With a powder-coated aluminum and solid riveted build, this puppy starts at a 12,000 British Pounds mark, roughly $16,350 at current exchange rates, not too shabby considering what you’re about to read.

Off-grid capabilities are something that ARC tries to apply to every one of their vehicles, after all, it’s kind of the name of the trailer game. To help you get away from the city and live off the land, the Teardrop is equipped with a roof-mounted solar panel, 12-volt charging point, and a smart battery system that will “trickle feed” from your car while towing, keeping batteries fully charged and ready to serve again.

The rear of the Teardrop also includes more than enough room for the equipped kitchen you have in mind, but the trailer does include a 12-volt fridge and a gas cooktop for the price I mentioned earlier. The remaining space in the galley is all for you to deck out however you wish and can easily fit a portable sink, goods storage, and even more storage for objects that don’t have much to do with cooking, like a water supply.

The interior of this home on wheels does look pretty homey and inviting as well. One of the main features guests should enjoy is the level of light that is allowed to enter the trailer, none if wished for, making it the perfect place to hibernate for a few days and get back to the concrete jungle with spirits renewed.

This interior is hand-crafted, includes a double bed, padded headboard, and fabric-covered walls. There's also a tad of faux leather and a suede ceiling. I wonder if it can be blue. Phone chargers, cupholders, and plenty of storage are customary of such RVs.

Like most other RV manufacturers and restoration artists, ARC also offers an array of features to select from in order to make your Teardrop even more unique. Heck, just check out that massive projector screen that someone wanted in their trailer. Not into movies in the wild? Just talk to the team at ARC and find out how much more your off-grid ideas will cost you.

A modern/classic design, filled with room to make it your own, and what you could regard as being an Airstream. If that’s not an RV that you should consider for your next acquisition, I don’t know what is. I wonder how much shipping is going to run you.