1979 Ford Van Airstream 1979 Ford Van Van Grey RWD Automatic Airstream

Description

About this vehicle
This 1979 Ford Van is an original. The owner has had it for 5+ years. The vehicle needs work and is not regularly driven.
Seller's Notes
The mileage is low and we believe is the actual mileage mainly because it belonged to my father who bought it practically new and did not drive it very much. My father was only the second owner.
Vehicle Details
This is probably the holy grail for any Airstream enthusiast! It is so rare, these vans NEVER come on the market, until now..
This was an idea thought up by Airstream marketing, selling the Airstream trailer, a modified Ford van, and topping it off with a metal boat... as a trio-combo package. They came as a set. Imagine seeing these in a showroom back then! The set was so limited, only big dealerships got one.
Only 38 were customized by Airstream in the late 1970s, how many remain as viable restorative candidates is probably.... this one.
I talked to an Airstream representative when researching this. He said his father had also worked for Airstream and had this exact set, he recalled every detail of the van. He told me that Airstream bought 38 Ford vans, then turned them over to a private contractor to modify them to the Airstream specs. With Airstream badges on the van, the color, the tow package and, for then, state of the art electronics were all Airstream specs.. Electric brake control as well. The van was intended as a tow vehicle, having an open cargo area equipped with a bench removable bench seat.
This particular van came to Oregon from Southern California. It was bought by the current owner's father, when just a few years old. The set was together then, but the father opted not to include the boat in the sale, he only wanted the trailer and the van... I know.. right?
The trailer and the van were driven up to Oregon around the year 2000. The trailer was stored away, the van was used periodically as a third vehicle for a few years. It was stored under a pole barn roof overhang. It was there when snow melting off the roof fell off in one large sheet, catching just enough of the front window to shatter it into a cobweb of glass. Still intact, but shattered. The trailer was sold.... The van sat under cover for many years, well over a decade without being started. The windshield was going to be replaced, and the broken one was removed, but it remains open. The van was covered during its long storage.
This van will have to be gone through, before starting again. At the time of storage, it was running well. It will have issues that any vehicle would have after being inert for such a long period of time.
It has great potential for the next owner. It should not take much to have this gem back on the road, towing a vintage Airstream behind! Add the boat and this may be the only one left... hard to tell. It would certainly be a crowd pleaser at any Airstream events or shows when restored back to the original set.
The Airstream van is currently located in Sheridan, Oregon
Images
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