This is a 1946 Spartan Manor Model 25 Travel Trailer that benefits from a recent restoration by the founder and previous owner of Timberleaf Trailers in Colorado.
It now has hot and cold running water, insulation in the walls and floors, and a new interior with tastefully executed mid-century furniture. Inside you’ll find a double bed, a toilet with shower, a kitchenette, dinette, and sitting area.
Fast Facts: A Restored 1946 Spartan Manor Model 25
- This 1946 Spartan Manor Model 25 is a 25-foot single-axle aluminum travel trailer built by the Spartan Aircraft Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was recently restored by the founder of Timberleaf Trailers in Colorado, who gave it a new maple-paneled interior, Marmoleum flooring, and a custom wet bath – while preserving its polished, riveted aircraft-style exterior.
- Originally designed by J.R. Schutes, the Manor series borrowed design principles from Spartan’s Executive 7W aircraft, using semi-monocoque aluminum construction and Art Deco-inspired styling. The Model 25 debuted in 1946 with an 8-foot width, wrap-around windows, and porthole doors, placing it in competition with other high-end trailers of the era, including those by Airstream.
- The restored interior features mid-century furniture and modern amenities, including a Senville LETO mini-split HVAC unit, Galanz refrigerator with freezer, Empava dual-burner induction cooktop, and Rheem water heater. The wet bath houses a Dometic toilet and hand-held shower, while the bedroom offers a queen-size bed, wardrobe, and built-in shelving for storage and comfort during longer stays.
- Structurally, the trailer keeps its steel chassis and single leaf-sprung axle, it has electric drum brakes and a manual tongue jack. New insulation in the walls and floors improves year-round usability, and exterior hookups allow 120-volt electrical, water, and wastewater connections.
History Speedrun: Spartan Travel Trailers
In 1928 oil magnate William G. Skelly took over the struggling Mid-Continent Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma and renamed it the Spartan Aircraft Company. Skelly had a deep fascination for the burgeoning world of aviation and automobiles and after making his fortune in the oil business, he was free to pursue any interest that took his fancy.
In 1928 oil magnate William G. Skelly took over the struggling Mid-Continent Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma and renamed it the Spartan Aircraft Company.
The Spartan Aircraft Company produced a variety of both civilian and military aircraft, they also had their own flight academy – the Spartan School of Aeronautics. Spartan made a name for themselves with the C2 series of monoplanes which was later developed into the C4, and finally into the luxurious Spartan Executive.
The Spartan Executive was a personal aircraft designed for business executives and tycoons, it offered all the same luxuries as a high-end automobile, and was capable of 200 mph. In many respects, the Spartan Executive was an early precursor to the private jet.
In 1935 J. Paul Getty purchased a controlling interest in the company from Skelly, he directed the opening of two new campuses of the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Miami, Muskogee and Ponca City, Oklahoma.
During WWII, Spartan trained countless American pilots, aircrews, and aircraft mechanics. They also produced aircraft for the war effort. After the war, with the sudden drop in demand for new aircraft they began manufacturing luxury travel trailers using the same design principles as their aircraft with all-aluminum, semi-monocoque designs.
The 1950s were a time of explosive growth in the travel trailer world, as Americans put their newly minted disposable income to good use. Cross-country vacations in trailers and motorhomes became almost a rite of passage, and companies like Airstream and Spartan were well-positioned to take advantage of the trend.
Spartan travel trailers were more luxurious, and more costly, than their rivals. They were sometimes referred to as the “Cadillac” of trailers. Ultimately Spartan would survive into the 1960s but not much further, closing down in 1961 after having built and sold over 40,000 trailers.
This is a 1946 Spartan Manor Model 25 Travel Trailer that benefits from a recent restoration by the founder and previous owner of Timberleaf Trailers in Colorado.
The art deco styling, high-end luxuries, and the fascinating history of Spartan makes the company’s surviving travel trailers highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.
1946 Spartan Manor Model 25 Travel Trailer
This 1946 Spartan Manor Model 25 is a 25 foot single-axle travel trailer that was originally built by the Spartan Aircraft Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma – a firm perhaps best known for its luxurious postwar aluminum trailers inspired by their own aircraft design and engineering work.
This travel trailer was bought about a year ago by the founder and former owner of Timberleaf Trailers in Colorado. It has since undergone a careful restoration/refurbishment with a hefty dose of mid-century style combined with modern comforts and amenities.
It keeps its classic polished aluminum exterior and aircraft-style riveted construction, but it now has an upgraded interior with a maple-paneled cabin, Marmoleum flooring, custom cabinetry, and a full wet bath.
Designed by J.R. Schutes, the Manor series of travel trailers borrowed techniques from Spartan’s Executive 7W airplane – using semi-monocoque aluminum construction and streamlined, aerodynamic Art Deco styling that made them a period competitor to the likes of Airstream.
This travel trailer was bought about a year ago by the founder and former owner of Timberleaf Trailers in Colorado. It has since undergone a careful restoration/refurbishment with a hefty dose of mid-century style combined with modern comforts and amenities.
The Model 25 first debuted in 1946, it offered an 8 foot width and distinctive wrap-around windows with porthole doors – styling touches that became synonymous with Spartan’s luxury mobile homes of the era.
Mechanically, this trailer rides on a steel chassis with a rebuilt leaf-sprung single axle with electric drum brakes, a replacement axle and wheels, and a manual tongue jack. The refurbishment extended beneath the cabin – with new insulation added behind the walls and under the floor to improve four-season usability in both hot and cold climates.
Inside, the observation lounge now centers around a pair of salmon-upholstered chairs, wall-mounted lamps, a corner table, and a television. A Senville LETO mini-split system provides both heating and cooling, giving it genuine year-round usability.
The galley has been rebuilt and now has dark gray countertops, a stainless-steel sink, custom cabinetry, and a pair of compact appliances – a Galanz refrigerator with freezer and an Empava dual-burner inductive cooktop.
A Rheem water heater is installed under the counter and it serves both the kitchen and the bathroom with hot water. The newly added wet bath includes a hand-held shower, sink, and pedal-flush Dometic toilet. In the rear, the bedroom area offers a queen-size bed, wardrobe, and under-bed storage, with wrap-around shelving for practicality on extended trips.
This Spartan Manor Model 25 now has hot and cold running water, insulation in the walls and floors, and a new interior with tastefully executed mid-century furniture. Inside you’ll find a double bed, a toilet with shower, a kitchenette, dinette, and sitting area.
Modern shore connections allow the trailer to link directly to 120 volt power, clean water, and wastewater systems, though it lacks onboard holding tanks (as many period trailers did).
It’s now being offered for sale out of Grand Junction, Colorado with a clean Colorado title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer + the Spartan Aircraft Company
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