One of the best things about vintage trailers is the stories they carry. There are stories about how they were found, where they have been, the search for missing parts, the restoration, the road trips, the rallies, and, best of all, the fun and friendships that come with owning one. This 1960 Zenith came with plenty of stories.
As the story goes, the trailer had been sitting in a horse pasture for about 37 years before its owners decided to move. They had already obtained a junk slip for it but were having trouble finding someone to haul it away. After a few photos were sent, that was all it took. Wendy immediately fell in love with the Zenith and said, “This one is not for sale.”
The former owner said the Zenith had belonged to her grandfather, who used it to follow the rodeo circuit back in the 1960s. She also shared that her grandfather once entertained his friend, comedian Red Skelton, inside the trailer with lemonade and sandwiches. There was even front-end collision damage with its own family story: according to the former owner, Grandpa had run it into the Golden Gate Bridge. By the late 1970s, the Zenith had become a college dorm room. After that, it was parked in a horse pasture, where it remained for the next 37 years.
Restoration began in the summer of 2018, and the trailer’s condition quickly became clear. Most of the wood in the walls, floor, and ceiling was completely rotted, and the interior paneling needed to be replaced. In short, the Zenith needed a complete rebuild. Since much of the original interior was missing and there was no floorplan information to follow, the decision was made to go custom while saving what could be reused, including the original kitchen cabinets, closet, and two round upper cabinets.
By September 2018, the Zenith had been structurally rebuilt, rewired, replumbed, and fitted with a new axle and tires. It was taken on a cross-country road trip with its original exterior and patina still intact. In the spring of 2019, with Glamperfest approaching, the trailer received a new look inspired by 1960. The walls and cabinets were painted soft yellow, with pecan wood flooring and pecan stain used on the custom round-top bathroom door, sliding bar door, and other woodwork throughout.
The custom dinette was built with six-degree angled seat backs covered in vintage textured turquoise fabric, along with a retro-inspired upper cabinet. In the kitchen, the original pink stove was retained, restored, and powder coated pale turquoise. The countertop, dinette table, partitions, and shelves were finished in Betty Fine Velvet Wilsonart laminate. The large original closet was partitioned, with one half transformed into a swanky Elvis-inspired cocktail bar featuring gold diamond-pattern upholstery, LED lighting, and an ice maker.
The Zenith also received a custom JVC sound system mounted in a console inspired by the Austin Powers “Shaguar” spy car. Trophy-inspired ceiling speaker sconces and a subwoofer gave the trailer an impressive stereo system, while the interior light switches were housed in a custom metal diamond-embossed control panel with indicator lights just for fun. In the rear, a queen-size bedroom was finished with a custom TV console that hides a 33-inch flat screen and DVD player.
Most of the original exterior skin was in good condition and featured a distinct Boles Aero-style pattern. The lower skin, however, was stained and oxidized, so a custom paint job was added to cover the most blemished areas while still honoring the trailer’s vintage character. Like hot rods, Harleys, old trucks, and vintage trailers, customized projects are never really done. There is always one more detail to add, one more idea to try, and one more reason to keep the story going.
