Did you know that 80% of the USA’s recreational vehicles (RVs) are manufactured in Elkhart County, Indiana? So much so, that it is known as the RV Capital of the USA and includes a museum that Mike and I visited!

In September 2004, Airstream collector Ken Faber turned up to a “Tin Can Tourists” RV rally in Michigan with a tiny, silver trailer in tow. As Faber made his way to the registration area, the campground looked like a scene from the Pied Piper as dozens of rally attendees walked behind his trailer trying to get a better look. When Faber finally parked and got out of his car, he told the audience the tale of Der Kleine Prinz (the little prince), the smallest Airstream ever made.

Faber said that although there was no original bill of sale, it was clear that Airstream built the trailer in 1958 at its Jackson Centre facility in Ohio. It is believed that the trailer was built at the request of the company’s founder who had returned from an Airstream caravan in Europe and who may have entertained thoughts about producing a small trailer for the European market. The European connection may also explain the trailer’s German name.

Unique features of the trailer are the Lilliputian bathroom that includes a shower that Airstream managed to wedge into the left rear corner, a three-ringed oven, a refrigerator, a gas-fired heater and a bed! All in a trailer that measures 10 feet long and six feet wide!