PHOTOS

There's a Dropbox link with many additional photos and high res versions of the auction photos. Email to request the link which can be sent in an ebay message or texted to a mobile phone if you provide a number. Name specifically what you’d like to see or see better and photos will be sent through ebay and added to the link.

OVERVIEW

This 1957 SPARTAN Imperial Villa mobile home is a towable triple axle trailer constructed almost entirely of natural aluminum and solid birch-wood with no crappy materials or significant wear or damage. The framing is all aluminum with no wood to deteriorate. The superior quality plywood subfloor is solid everywhere since it’s never been subjected to water infiltration or negligence. The undercarriage is quality 50s steel with minor surface corrosion only on the exposed tongue and the frame outside the belly pan. There is no other corrosion or exposure to the elements since there have been no past plumbing leaks and the original thick aluminum belly pan is still fully attached and sealed.

1957 was the first year that Spartan manufactured a 10 foot wide trailer. The extra 2 feet in width compared to standard travel trailers creates an open feel much more like a home. This 41 foot long abode is 410 square feet with 2 bedrooms, a full bath and a front cabin with a living room that flows into the full kitchen. It’s sufficiently spacious and well-designed to be a home for two, a workshop, a studio or a bungalow for guests. All areas get abundant natural light through large windows in every room and 4 long and slender ventilation windows near the ceiling on both sides of the front and rear cabin.

All Spartans are park models with no holding or fresh water tanks. They were designed to be situated for long periods and function like a house with an endless supply of water and power and no limits on drainage. An external 3/4” male hose valve connects to a 3/4” female hose connector for unlimited fresh water, an external port connects a 110 power line to the interior breaker box and a drain pipe through the belly pan connects to a drainage duct.

The radius of the roof and the corrugated sides were effectively designed to repel water and enhance wind flow over the body. The windows and vents have been shaped and located for highly efficient passive circulation and superior ventilation. The whole body is laser straight as seen in the photos.

The skin including the roof is in exceptional condition with no dents and the following imperfections which all can be seen in the photos on the link: 4 holes that are 1/2” to 1” which were made as access ports, 3 screw holes which would be hard to find without the galvanized strapping they’re still fastening to the skin, minor smudge areas that polish out, 3 small dimples where the skin borders the tongue, 5 small dimples on the front door and several shallow scratches on the back door. None of these are very obvious and the skin is nonetheless beautiful. The meticulously tight and symmetrical riveting done by Spartan far surpasses materials and methods used today to accomplish structural integrity and watertightness. All of the exterior seams on this rig appear still to be completely watertight even though there is no evidence that any type of caulking or sealant has ever been applied.

Most of the solid birch wall, ceiling and door panels and cabinetry are in very good or excellent condition. There are water stains on the birch panels below several windows that were left open during rainfall, there are several missing drawer fronts, the movable dressers have wear and multiple dings and some of the wall panels in high traffic areas show wear that could be removed by cleaning and conditioning rather than refinishing.

The plumbing appears to be fully intact including a small 10 gallon water heater. It optimally would be upgraded to PEX with a propane tankless hot water heater.

The electrical is all there however the 110 cable has been cut between the exterior service port and the interior distribution box.

The flooring is primarily thin walnut parquet in overall good condition with some type of 70s style linoleum in the kitchen. The laminate flooring is one of the few non-original items along with the Magic Chef refrigerator freezer, the Tappan electronic ignition range, the mini-blinds, the rinky-dink contact paper on the inside of the front door that’s releasing on its own and a hideously kinky colonial blue toilet seat.

This Spartan was going to be an attainable and beautiful mid-century dwelling surrounded by cedar decking topped with lush raised-bed gardens. The parcel in California where it was going, however, is no longer a possible location and there isn’t one on the horizon. It’s being stored outside of Tucson at a professional facility under a covered RV port for $177 a month. So far it has never left the ideal conditions of Arizona.

The Spartan was slated for new flooring with loose lay real linoleum, vintage Venetian blinds, new appliances including a compact and efficient propane furnace and Coolerado AC, all new plumbing including PEX, an on demand water heater and aluminum propane tanks, all new electrical powered by solar and a Norwegian Cinderella propane incinerating toilet so only grey water is produced. This specific upgrade combined with a fresh water tank and a PV system with rooftop panels creates a fully functional and comfortable home off the grid.

ORIGINAL PRICE

This Imperial Villa in 1957 sold for $7,984.00 which is $69,840.33 in today’s dollars based only on overall inflation. The cost is actually $375,450 when the increase in price is calculated for this specific pure aluminum alloy in this sheet mil-spec and for this type of fabrication and construction. That would be the cost only if it were in production in significant numbers as it once was. As a custom one-off project, the cost today would be exorbitant.

TERMS

This is a used mobile home being sold as-is and where-is with no warranty expressed or implied. $5,000 is due within 48 hours and another $7,000 is due within 5 more days by bank wire, bank check or cash in person upon inspection. The balance is due by one of those methods upon pickup which must be by December 30 2017 unless monthly payments are made of no less than $2,000 per month for the balance of the purchase price above $12,000. If the buyer prefers this option, the only additional fee will be the $177 monthly storage fee until the Spartan is paid in full. Installment payments must be made by bank wire or bank check so there are bank receipts. Possession will be transferred once the purchase price is paid in full.

TITLE

There is a clear Arizona title that will be signed over to the buyer upon payment in full and release of liability.

COMMUNICATION

Email any questions and a number and best times to call if you prefer to be contacted by phone.

INSPECTION

This Spartan is located on the outskirts of Tucson Arizona and can be viewed any day between 10: AM and 4: PM. Email your preferred dates and times as well as a phone number if you’d like to see it.

POLISH

The skin on this Spartan has the original subtle burnish which is perfect on the corrugated aluminum. It will remain in this state for many years. Light polishing is only needed to remove a few smudges from tarps that rubbed against the surface in the wind. They easily buff out with wool bonnets and a Cyclo polisher. Light buffing every few years with sodium bicarbonate will remove any dulling and corrosive elements absorbed from the atmosphere. Spartan never clear-coated their aluminum so there’s no finish to deteriorate or have to strip off.

TIRES & WHEELS

The tires are toast but 8 new high quality tires have been purchased for 3 axles plus 2 spares. New black rims were also purchased to accommodate the ideal tire which is an F-rated commercial 12-ply 225/75 R15 (15x6 with bolt pattern 6 on 5-1/2). The purchase price includes the 8 tires, 8 rims and installation in December of 6 of the tires with new lug nuts. The Spartan will be safer and less complicated to load and relocate with fresh high-ply tires even if it's moved on a flatbed.

TOWING

This Spartan towed smoothly for the 50 miles to its current location. The 2-5/16” coupler worked fine however the mechanism was tight. Somehow the old tires held air and a set of temporary LED marker lights were used since there's no RV plug. Safety chains, hooks and D shackles all rated for 9000 pounds are ready along with the new tires for towing. In order to safely and legally tow the Spartan any distance or up and down grades, an RV plug and break lights will have to be wired and new breaks might be needed. Only the new tires will be needed if it’s transported on a flatbed trailer.

PICKUP & DELIVERY

This Spartan can be towed in Arizona by anyone with a driver’s license and solid experience towing. Only a day permit is needed if it’s being relocated within Arizona. In California, a Class A commercial license, a mobile home moving permit and a pilot car are required due to the 10 foot width. Additional requirements might apply depending upon the permitting process of the California county where it’s being delivered. Professional transport is recommended if the trailer is going to California.

SPARTAN HISTORY

The Spartan Aircraft Company was founded in 1928 in Tulsa, Oklahoma and acquired by billionaire and oil tycoon J. Paul Getty in the late 30s. The Spartan factory was in full production when WWII ended along with almost all orders for planes. Getty switched production to precision crafted campers and later posh mobile homes to meet the rapidly rising demand for housing.

The first prototype was made in the summer of 1945 with production continuing until 1962. Spartan continued to apply to the trailers the same superb aircraft engineering and the highest mil-specs for materials and fabrication, in particular corrugated aluminum sheet, riveting and framing. The monocoque building technique used in airplane manufacturing created trailers of outstanding quality, lightweight structural durability and mid-century sleekness. Spartan unequivocally marketed their brand as the Rolls or Cadillac of mobile homes by giving most of their trailer models names that combined the words Executive, Imperial, Royal, Villa, Mansion or Manor depending on size and features. Spartan trailers were like none other and out-luxed and outperformed most stationary homes. The trailers that Spartan manufactured in 1961, however, were an overt decline in style and quality from their production through 1960. By then there were many trailer and mobile home makes being manufactured and sold for far less than a Spartan. Too few customers were willing or able to pay the price for exceptional quality and durability. The choices were to become a flimsier brand or to end production. As genius would have it, Spartan folded its hand in 1961 at the dawn of the mass crapification of many American products.

KEY DETAILS

VIN #: 1045AH387

SERIAL NUMBER: 1045AH

MODEL: 1045-1 (2 BR)

WEIGHT: 10,980 lbs

LENGTH: 45' including the tongue with a 41' cabin

WIDTH: 9’ 11”

HEIGHT: 9’ 8.5” from the ground to the tallest vent

CEILING HEIGHT: 7’ 6”

LOCKSETS: Original Bargman working push/pull lockset on the back door and replacement commercial stainless knob lockset on the front door with all keys present

CROSS VENTILATION: Original 4 transom windows

ROOF VENTS: Original 4 aluminum including the turbine vent for the kitchen skylight, the furnace vent, the bath vent and the fan vent which is missing its cap

WINDOWS: Original aluminum frames and original glass all in tip-top condition

SCREENS: 10 original window screens and 1 vent screen all with aluminum frames and screening and all in very good condition

EXTERIOR PORTS: Water hose and electrical service

ELECTRIC BREAKER BOX: 50 amp with cut lines needing rewiring

INTERIOR LIGHTING: Original period incandescent sockets and fixtures

HEATER: Original International propane gas forced air furnace that blows into an underfloor duct system with 6 duct registers throughout the cabin

AIR CONDITIONERS: Older units at front and rear that require maintenance or replacement

KEY CONCEPTS     endless education     precision fabrication     pure aluminum alloy     nothing sacred     monocoque structure     teak decking

crazy billionaire     deco aesthetics     hitch-totin’ loner     rugged and remote     flawless accountibility     voting with dollars    victory garden     do it right     

love your neighbor     caulk your Airstream     musical instrumentation     deep relaxation     sovereign stainless    artisan ability     substance is everything

sublime vintage    unfettered mobility    science rules     laws of nature     clean lines     shared resources     work hard play harder     vintage aluminum

not-so-tiny house     spending rebellion     glampercide is painless     untreated undyed     community consciousness     natural highs     ecologic methods

long cool trip     even-keeled     mondo materials     organic turkey hotdogs with celery salt minced onion chili relish     liberté égalité fraternité pour tous

no mortgage

And a few key lines from a classic film spoken in 1950 about a purchase in 1929: "We have a car. And not one of those cheap new things made of chromium and spit. An Isotta-Fraschini. Have you ever heard of Isotta-Fraschinis? All hand-made. Cost me twenty-eight thousand dollars."