Misplaced Pages

#640359

33-636: The Rapido Group is a French manufacturer of motorhomes in Mayenne , France . Rapido Group owns Rapido RVs and other moterhome/van brands: Campérêve, Dreamer, Fleurette, Florium, Giottiline, Itineo, Rapidhome, Westfalia , Roadtrek , Stylevan and Wild’Ax. Rapido Group was founded in 1948 by cabinetmaker Constant Rousseau. Rousseau started a cabinetmaker/carpentry company in Châtillon-sur-Colmont in France . Rousseau moved into camping when he

66-486: A dealer network, as the cars were sold through Studebaker dealerships. Under Studebaker's ownership, Pierce-Arrow retired the venerable 6-cylinder engine and in 1929 introduced an L-head straight-eight engine , which displaced 366 cu in (6.0 L). In 1933, Pierce-Arrow unveiled the radically streamlined Silver Arrow in a final attempt to appeal to the wealthy at the New York Auto Show . The car

99-463: A group of classic car enthusiasts from Switzerland applied the name to a 10 L, 24-cylinder car designed by Luigi Colani . According to their (defunct) website, the company intended to revive the Pierce-Arrow car in the form of a Pierce Silver Arrow II. The U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled on August 12, 2019, that "Pierce-Arrow" cannot be registered by an unrelated third party as

132-509: A line of motorcycles , including the Pierce Four . In 1914, Pierce-Arrow adopted its most enduring styling hallmark when its headlights were moved from a traditional placement at the radiator's sides, into flared housings molded into the front fenders of the car. This gave the car an immediately visible distinction in front or side views. At night, the car appeared to have a wider stance. Pierce patented this placement, which endured until

165-567: A made folding caravan trailer for his family in 1958 . His cabinetmaker / carpentry company moved into camping trailers in the 1961, winning the first prize in the Lépine competition. His folding caravan trailer he called Rapido , after the Rapido River in Italy , that is visited in 1961. In 1975 the folding caravan trailer factory moved to Mayenne , France. Rousseau son, Pierre Rousseau join

198-511: A motorhome is referred to as a Wohnmobil . In Sweden , the term husbil means motorhome. In France , a motorhome is called a camping-car . In Italy , the term camper is used to mean motorhome in general, and the term motorhome refers to Class A motorhomes in particular. Spain and Portugal use auto caravana or auto-caravana . In the Netherlands and in Poland , the term camper

231-510: A pattern common in RV history, in 1958 Frank designed and built his first motorhome so his family could take vacations to Florida and the mid-west ; it was 27 feet (8.2 m) long and mounted on a Dodge chassis. Soon afterwards, other campers took an interest in the design and asked Frank to build them one too. By 1960, the Franks had sold seven motorhomes, and decided to open Frank Motor Homes, Inc.

264-608: A two-cylinder car, the Arrow . In 1904, Pierce decided to concentrate on making a larger, more luxurious car for the upscale market, the Great Arrow . This became the company's most successful product. The solidly built, four-cylinder car won the Glidden Tour in 1905, an endurance run to determine and celebrate the most reliable car. Thirty-three cars entered the 350-mile race from New York City to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire;

297-405: Is either fixed or converted from another part of the motorhome's interior, usually a fold-out sofa. A kitchenette area contains cooking equipment. The type of equipment included differs depending on the motorhome make and model, but generally a kitchenette has a stovetop, oven, refrigerator, and sink. More luxury models may also provide a microwave . A small bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet

330-424: Is used. In Australia and New Zealand , the term campervan is frequently used for smaller vans, either with a low top or high top that do not have a toilet and shower. In New Zealand , the term housebus is frequently used for larger motorhomes. In some countries, the proprietary name Winnebago has been largely genericised to refer to any motorhome. The origins of the motorhome date back to 1910, when

363-466: Is usually also located in the motorhome. On smaller motorhomes, the toilet may be of the "cassette toilet" type, which is a kind of portable toilet or container-based toilet . The toilet sometimes swivels to provide extra room and can be accessed from outside the motorhome for easy emptying. Larger motorhomes usually have a separate shower cubicle. A motorhome also has a cab area with a driver and passenger seat. These seats often swivel to become part of

SECTION 10

#1732790964641

396-654: The Pierce-Arrow motor company introduced the Touring Landau model at the Madison Square Garden auto show. The Pierce-Arrow's entry was specialized for the camper in mind—providing cargo compartments for camping equipment and even an on-board toilet. In the 1920s, individual builders and manufactures began to convert panel trucks and buses to be used for camping. Designers patterned these "housecars" after airplanes, boats, and buses. One of

429-456: The "Three P's of Motordom." Industrial efficiency expert Frank Gilbreth , father of the authors of " Cheaper By The Dozen ," extolled the virtues of Pierce-Arrow, in both quality and in its ability to safely transport his large family. Its wheelbase was 12 ft 3 in (3.73 m). The transmission was a four speed manual in 1919. Actor Sessue Hayakawa (famed for his role in Bridge on

462-615: The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company. In 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows (and two White Model M Tourers ) to be used for state occasions, the first official cars of the White House . The Pierce-Arrow's engine displacement started at 453 cu in (7.4 L), continuing to a massive 11.7 L (714.0 cu in) and was increased later to 5 inch bore and 7 inch stroke for 13.52 L (825.0 cu in), at

495-632: The River Kwai ) drove a custom-ordered gold-plated Pierce-Arrow. A restored 1919 Pierce-Arrow is on display at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library . An open-bodied Pierce-Arrow carried Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding to Harding's 1921 inauguration, and one was used prominently in the 1950 movie Cheaper by the Dozen . Pierce-Arrow advertisements were artistic and understated. Unusual for car advertising,

528-536: The United States. Motorhomes can be roughly categorized into three categories: There are many different motorhome layouts available with each manufacturer offering a range of options. One layout innovation that started in 1999 was the development of a slide out or slide room. As seen on the floor plan of the Thor Motor Coach, a slide out is an area that increases the square footage living space of

561-567: The chassis and engine, the wheelbase lengthened, and built back into fire engines . Some of these fire engines were in service for up to 20 years. In 1928, the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana , gained control of the Buffalo firm. The association was to last for five years, with moderate benefits to both companies' engineering departments, which continued to function as separate entities. Pierce-Arrow also gained

594-455: The chassis. In ten years, Winnebago had grown from 415 employees to 1,252 in 1969 with over $ 3 million in sales. While Winnebago was the market leader, other companies were also growing. In 1969 a total of 23,100 motorhomes were sold. While the gas crunch of the 1970s drove many manufacturers out of business—including Frank Motorhomes (then known as Travco) —today, the motorhome market continues to be strong. In 2014, 43,900 motorhomes were sold in

627-538: The earliest known RVs is the "Gypsy Van," built in 1915 by Roland and Mary Conklin. The Gypsy Van was essentially a motorhome constructed on a bus chassis, featuring a range of amenities that were considered quite luxurious for its time. RV production was halted during World War Two and would not resume for the domestic market until the 1950s. When production did begin again, designers began grafting trailer bodies onto truck or bus chassis. Raymond Frank gave these housecars their contemporary name of “motorhome". Following

660-413: The few, if only, multi-valve flathead design engines ever made. The company did not introduce an 8-cylinder engine until the 1929 Model 126, and a V-12 engine was offered in 1931 until the company closed in 1938. In 1910, George Pierce died. In 1912, Herbert M. Dawley (later a Broadway actor-director) joined Pierce-Arrow, and he designed almost every model until 1938. Until 1914, Pierce-Arrow also made

693-537: The final model of 1938, although Pierce always offered customers the option of conventional headlamps; only a minority ordered this option. The Pierce-Arrow was a status symbol , owned by many Hollywood stars and tycoons, and a favorite was the Pierce-Arrow Town Car . Most of the royalty of the world had at least one Pierce-Arrow in its collection. Some have described Pierce and two of its rivals among American luxury cars, Peerless and Packard , as

SECTION 20

#1732790964641

726-562: The image of the car was in the background rather than the foreground of the picture. Usually, only part of the car was visible. The Pierce-Arrow was typically depicted in elegant and fashionable settings. Some advertisements featured the car in places a car would not normally go, such as the West and other rural settings, a testament to the car's ruggedness and quality. Because of the immense size of most models, several second-hand Pierce-Arrow cars were bought by fire departments , stripped down to

759-763: The leadership of the company. In the early 1980, Rapido Group started making motorhomes. In 1983, the Rapido first motorhome was the Randonneur 410, a Class C motorhome on a Renault van. In the 1990s, Rapido Group started to build Class A motorhomes . In 2014, Nicolas Rousseau became leader of the company, the third generation of a family firm. Rapido Group has grown through the acquisition of other motorhome companies: 48°18′34″N 0°38′36″W  /  48.309389°N 0.643250°W  / 48.309389; -0.643250 Motorhome Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space

792-469: The living space. A dinette area provides a table and seating space typically used for eating meals. A lounge may also be included, consisting of either a U-shaped sofa located in the rear of the motorhome or a side lounge. In the United Kingdom and the United States, the word motorhome is commonly used. On occasion, other synonyms are used, such as motor home and motor caravan . In Germany ,

825-682: The motorhome. These slide out(s) extend to allow for more living space while parked and retract while driving. As with most innovations, the original slide outs were considered a luxury item, whereas they are now standard on most of today's motorhomes. Pierce-Arrow The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York , active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars , Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks , fire trucks , boats, camp trailers, motorcycles , and bicycles . The forerunner of Pierce-Arrow

858-538: The next year. With the stylish fiberglass construction and contemporary color palette, the Frank motorhomes became an acceptable option for 1960s suburbanites who wanted an RV but scoffed at the travel trailer . Soon other firms began to manufacture these mainstream motorhomes. In 1958, one of the most recognizable names in motorhomes was launched— Winnebago . Under the direction of John Hanson, Winnebago began to produce nearly all of their motorhomes' components other than

891-549: The race was won by Percy Pierce in a Great Arrow . The noted industrial architect Albert Kahn designed the Pierce Arrow Factory Complex at Elmwood Avenue and Great Arrow Avenue in about 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. George Pierce sold all rights in the company in 1907, and he died three years later. In 1908, Pierce Motor Company was renamed as

924-554: The show car and still failed to generate enough sales. Starting in 1936, Pierce-Arrow produced a line of camper-trailers, the Pierce-Arrow Travelodge. They also produced a new V12 sedan that was redesigned and considered the safest and most luxurious sedan of its day. The Rio Grande Southern Railroad converted five Pierce-Arrow automobiles (and a couple of Buicks ) into motorized railcars , effectively buses and trucks on rail wheels. The nickname Galloping Goose

957-425: The time making it by far the largest Otto engine offered in any production automobile in the world. In 1910, Pierce dropped its other 4-cylinder models and focused exclusively on 6-cylinder cars until 1929. The model 6-36, 6-48, and 6-66 continued for the next decade. Starting in 1918, Pierce-Arrow adopted a four-valve per cylinder T-head inline-six engine (Dual Valve Six) and three spark plugs per cylinder, one of

990-462: Was built by Karl Wise, the firm's chief engineer, from parts secured from the company's receivers. Pierce's remaining assets (which probably would include the forty Arrows made in October 1938) were sold at auction on a Friday, May 13, 1938. The factory equipment used to make Pierce-Arrow V12 engines was bought by Seagrave Fire Apparatus , which used it to make engines for fire engines . In 2006,

1023-593: Was established in 1865 as Heinz, Pierce and Munschauer. The company was best known for its household items, especially its delicate, gilded birdcages. In 1872, George Norman Pierce bought out the other two principals of the company, changed the name to the George N. Pierce Company, and in 1896 added bicycles to the product line. The company failed in its attempt to build a steam-powered car in 1900 under license from Overman , but by 1901, had built its first single-cylinder, two-speed, no-reverse Motorette . In 1903, it produced

Rapido Group - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-555: Was soon applied to these vehicles, reportedly based on their waddling motion and honking horn. Three are preserved in the Colorado Railroad Museum at Golden . Pierce was the only luxury brand that did not field a lower-priced car ( e.g. , the Packard 120 ) to provide cash flow, and without sales or funds for development, the company declared insolvency in 1938 and closed its doors. The final Pierce-Arrow assembled

1089-499: Was well received by the public and the motoring press, being announced with the slogan "Suddenly it's 1940!" Pierce sold five examples but, since it was priced at $ 10,000 (equal to $ 235,373 today) during the worst of the Depression , even the rich were hesitant to spend so much. The bodies were built at Studebaker, which subsequently assisted in rolling out a lower-priced production model. This, however, lacked many luxury features of

#640359