The Museum of Modern Art admitted a 1960s Airstream Bambi Travel Trailer to its iconic automotive collection, and, suddenly, the retro piece of Americana had new life—and so did the businesses of vintage trailer restorers. Texas Vintage Trailers’ Eric Stoltz is one of those restorers.

In fact, Stoltz is pretty much the only full-service trailer restorer in Texas. A master carpenter and licensed commercial building contractor, he now prefers doing total restorations of 1950s trailers at his New Braunfels shop. “I restore the exterior to mint condition and design the floor plan for the interior,” Stoltz says. “I try to stay ‘green’ and use as few VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and off-gassing products as possible.”

Which is why Stoltz prefers restoring old trailers. After ’81, he says, the grade of aluminum changed from aircraft to license-plate quality, abdicating that iconic shine and durability. He cites the large amounts of particleboard used in current models as the reason heat-oppressed FEMA trailers infamously emitted large amounts of formaldehyde. New trailers, he says, are around 90 percent glue and sawdust.

So Stoltz prefers to work on older models. But they don’t come cheap. A totally refurbished classic can run up a tab of $45,000. “I’m a minimalist,” he says. “I want things to be minimal, but with features of functionality. My design approach is circa the 1950s Airstreams; ’55 – ’65, the best years for American art.”

San Antonio-based, studio furniture artist Peter Zubiate recently took on an Airstream project, but brought the retro feel into the future. “What started as a 1976 Airstream is going to be a slick sculptural hangout,” Zubiate says. “I am modernizing it as far as electricity, heating, et cetera, but also [adding] a tricked-out sound system, modern appliances and an all stainless steel bathroom.

“The bedroom will have a custom painted forest scene; knotty pine interior with wood-burned accents. The up-front lounge area will feature a purple suede button-tuck interior. The whole theme sort of evolves around the love of the couple the trailer belongs to.”

Indeed, more trailers may undergo facelifts as airfare continues to go up and the depressed economy precludes full-on vacations.

“They’re used for weekend excursions,” Stoltz says. “Now it’s about Friday, Saturday, Sunday; [refurbished] trailers need places for towels and fishing poles, more sleeping areas—not closets.”

Peter Zubiate’s artistic custom appliances will modernize a ’76 airstream. Photo courtesy Peter Zubiate.