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Vintage car lovers, unite! There’s this 1941 For Western Flyer that is up for grabs online! It is an original Western Flyer that was originally designed by none other than Clifford Brooks Stevens. However, this specific model was redesigned, restored, and personalized by Howdy Ledbetter.
If you are a vintage car collector, it’s impossible not to know Brooks Stevens. He lived from 1911 to 1995 and was considered one of the most notable and popular industrial designers of his generation. He was one of the founders of Designers Society of America and formed his own company in 1934 in Milwaukee.
Stevens is known for designing the Zephyr Land Yacht for the famous Bill Plankinton. The latter absolutely loved his tractor and trailer, which he demanded to be beautiful and, at the same time, comfortable. The brilliant industrial designer made the tractor and trailer complete with kitchen facilities, shower and radio equipment.
Eventually, when folks from the Western Printing Company saw Plankinton’s Land Yacht, he ordered Stevens to design a mobile showroom for his business. For this, Stevens designed what is now known as the “Western Clipper.” Imagine this mobile showroom, complete with a parking facility under 20 feet!
Brooks Stevens, since then, has been known for creating different designs of the original clipper. He even made one for Johnson’s Wax which was used during the 1940 New York World Fair. This clipper was complete with huge spaces for bunks. Shower bath and kitchen inside were equipped with running water. It has been called “Housecar” since then.
Among the other vehicles which he designed that proved his brilliance and excellence were the Skytop Hiawatha trains in 1948, the Oscar Mayer ‘Wienermobile.’ All of these are recorded and well-documented in different American museums. If you are a vintage car lover, you can find some posts online selling different Stevens designs. You might want to read first on his other creations through vintage car blogs or by visiting car museums across the globe.
