Mobile vintage style

Twenty-eight years ago when Diamond Williams found a vintage 1946 Kit Teardrop trailer discarded in a yard, he jumped on that deal like “a flea on a brand new puppy,” he said.

Nearly three decades later the 8-foot-long trailer sports a more modern look with a flat screen television, speakers, DVD and VCR inside, while still retaining the classic feel of golden velvet lining and brown and gold linoleum lining for the kitchen in the back. This weekend Williams, 54, of Compton and many more vintage trailer owners camped out in the parking lot of The Camp in Costa Mesa for “Mobile Space,” the third annual vintage trailer rally.

The trailers rolled in Friday night just in time to set up and enjoy a free showing of “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” projected on an inflatable screen in the lot by Camp staff. The crowds really rolled in Saturday and it was all about the feel of the 1950s that characterized these classic travelers as the night closed out with a viewing of “The Long, Long Trailer” with Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz.

Saturday a Vintage NIKE Volkswagen passed out free posters, stickers, pins, and offered two iron-on stations with 75 free T-shirts.

It’s a tight-knit group whose members keep running into each other at various vintage trailer gatherings across the state, Williams said.

Williams has all the fixings for a comfortable trip, including a portable shower/toilet constructed from tent materials, and a full-service kitchen.

“This here is completely self-contained,” Williams said. “We’ve got solar power, electric and a 700-watt battery. The whole thing can run on its own power.”

Williams was pleased to give tours of his long-time traveling companion to the crowds walking through the lot where he slept the night before.

You have to be ready to show off the insides at any time, even when not at shows, Costa Mesa resident Harry Winters said. Winters brought two of his three vintage trailers, a 1960s Scatabout Teardrop and a Crosley, down from his home on the Eastside of town for the event.

Winters has tweaked each trailer with special vintage touches for the half-dozen shows he and his wife attend each year.

The family is not afraid to use their trailers whenever needed. As the construction from a remodel next door to their home has gotten noisy in the mornings, the Winters have opted many times to camp out in one of the trailers parked on the driveway.

“We just pretend we’re camping somewhere,” Winters said, but taking one with “two doors are easier than one, that way you’re not climbing over each other to go to the bathroom.”

The Crosley, trailer Winters lovingly refers to as the “Ham Can” based on its resemblance to the iconic can of Spam had suffered fire damage when it was first purchased.

After repairs Winters made few changes to the original look of the trailers aside from the necessities to fit both he and his wife inside comfortably.

“I kind of wanted to keep them original,” Winters said. “Keeping it more realistic with what they actually looked like when people used them.”

Others like to fix them up inside but rarely use them.

But who could blame those who rarely use their spruced up vintage beauties, some sporting pieces dating back seven decades or older, said vintage trailer restorer Dayton Taylor.

All of Taylor’s restored trailers are completed with a vintage theme in mind, be it “Hot Rods Forever,” “Tiki Shack,” or “Cruisin’ Route 66.”

Some come with custom treats such as a complete bathroom taken from a vintage boat that includes a folding toilet that turns into a shower.

“They’re all cool,” Taylor said. “They’re hard to find though. They get snatched up almost as soon as they are put up for sale.”