Common sense and pretty much everyone in your circle of friends will tell you that perfection is unimprovable. There is no going up, no upgrade possible, and no room for change: perfection is the ultimate goal.
The Airstream is an American icon and it has evolved over the years to near-perfection. So imagine the kind of creative hurdle the team behind these iconic trailers have to cross whenever they’re looking to improve the RV experience for their customers.
If you’re going to improve on a seemingly-perfect product, which is what an Airstream travel trailer is, you’d best bring the top designers in the world to do it. This is what the Airstream Studio F. A. Porsche Travel Trailer does.
The new trailer is just a concept for the time being, and it marks the latest collaboration from Airstream – this time, with the Studio F.A. Porsche Design, Porsche’s fashion and accessories sub-brand. It imagines the future of RV-ing with a more aerodynamic and lightweight travel trailer, which also brings hassle-free ownership and the same degree of comfort customers have come to expect from Airstream.
Photo: Airstream
The concept imagines what the future might hold for RV owners, both already-established Airstream clients and new buyers. It would have to involve a trailer lightweight enough to be towed by a small SUV or, even better, an electric vehicle, and versatile enough to fit inside a regular garage. Towability and garageability were the main focus points of the design, Airstream says, casually showing just how flexible the English language is. The other main focus was keeping the overall Airstream aesthetic recognizable despite whatever changes Porsche Design made to the trailer.
The result is this: a beautiful, compact yet spacious, elegantly furnished and very lightweight trailer. Measuring 16.4 feet (5 meters) in total length, it’s no bigger than the Bambi, but it provides standing height by means of a pop-up that goes the entire length of the trailer. The concept is a single-axle trailer with a single floorplan option, and accommodation for a maximum of two people, but it’s furnished elegantly, designed with incredible attention to detail, and because of it, quite perfect for a mobile tiny house – even one with potential for a permanent residence.
What Porsche Design brings new to the Airstream is the adjustable suspension, which makes this the first Airstream with full garageability. In plain English, the chassis lowers close to the ground and you can roll this inside a standard garage for storage. Airstream believes this would bring in new customers, especially from areas where homeowners’ associations don’t allow trailers on driveways, or where there are no driveways to speak of.
Photo: Airstream
The other, significant improvement is in regard to weight. Porsche Design proposes an Airstream trailer that no longer features the instantly recognizable aluminum rivets and rounded rear. Instead, the pop-up roof is made of carbon fiber, and the rear is flat to allow for better aerodynamics and the integration of a versatile hatch and tailgate element.
Despite this, the trailer remains recognizable as an Airstream. It’s fancy as one, too: the interior features multi-functional spaces, to offer comfort inside the limited space, and is finished in premium materials. The batteries and water tanks are integrated into the floor, and the general layout prevents clutter, to the point where the feel is one of a plush hotel suite and not of a compact trailer.
Still, this is a trailer that could serve as a permanent residence for two. The kitchen has a two-burner cooktop and an integrated sink, and a drop-down counter for meal prep, while the bathroom is a wet one. The rear section is dedicated to the living space, which can be an entertainment lounge or an office during the day, a dinette at mealtimes, and the bedroom at night.
Another valuable addition comes with the rear hatch and tailgate system, which extends living space into the outdoors. The tailgate serves as a deck and living room extension, and would definitely be very appreciated by nomads who monetize their adventures on social media. Just imagine the beautiful shots you could snap from that mini-deck!
Photo: Airstream
“Innovation is the art of discovering the possible,” Bob Wheeler, Airstream’s president and CEO, says of the trailer concept. Unfortunately, for the time being, whatever discovery of what’s possible has been made will remain under wraps, since there are no current plans to bring the trailer into production. Some features might trickle onto future Airstream products, but even that’s a big “if.”
If you like what you see of the concept in the official materials included with this story and happen to be by the 2023 SXSW (South by Southwest) film, music and tech festival between March 10 and March 19, 2023, a 1/3 scale model will be on display at the Porsche exhibit.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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