Vintage Trailer Coach Restorations (owned by William and Kelli Ward), found this Spartan Manor in a suburb of Portland, Oregon about five years ago. It was in rough condition and sat in their yard while they pursued the restoration of several other trailers. In the summer of 2015, after the Wards found a second “parts donor” Spartan, work began on this one of a kind, custom build. Although “double enders” were produced in the early 1950’s by Spartan, this creation was custom built by William.
Kelli did not think converting the 24’ tandem manor into a double ender was one of William’s best ideas. Not daunted, William took several measurements and found the trailer’s mid-section was the same length from the middle towards each end. Only the “end-caps” were different. (Spartan folklore or fact has it that the original double-enders were made when the factory ran out of rear ends.) Once William removed the rear cap of the one trailer he carefully removed the front end of the donor trailer. The cap was so light weight (about 100 pounds) he could lift it by himself. Each rivet was drilled out of the donor piece and when it was mated on to the back of the other trailer, all but three rivet holes lined back up!
This is the smallest of all the Spartan Manor models that were made. This Spartan is even more rare because it has a tandem axle. Spartan only did tandem axles on this model if it was custom ordered. Adding the “front to the back” lengthened the trailer about six inches. Once the overall shellwas back together the work had just begun. New roll pans, floors and general fit and finish added up to approximately 1050 hours of fabrication work. William is a full time, one-man shop and can tell you everything about the build.
Due to the rough condition of the trailer when William and Kelli acquired it, there was not much left inside that could be salvaged. Using their creativity, the Wards redesigned their Spartan by adding a luxurious bathroom with an aluminum surround and a stainless sink. Although the trailer is not a “period correct” restoration, William worked hard to keep the mid-century feel with an aluminum ceiling, a large “U” shaped kitchen, walnut cabinets and white flooring.
Modern amenities include a, sound system with speakers throughout the coach, two Samsung flat screen TV’s and air conditioning. The exterior is polished in the middle and painted with Mercedes Benz metallic silver on the upper and lower sections of the trailer. Both porch lights are original to the trailer(s). It has new window glass, screens, aluminum propane tanks, new axles, brakes, wheels and tires etc. making this NEW/OLD trailer ready for years of vintage trailering fun. At only 4000 lbs. you can tow it with a ½ ton truck.
The Wards finished the Spartan in May of 2016 and have enjoyed showing it with their son Will at numerous vintage trailer rallies on the West Coast. It has won best of show in several rallies.
