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Zephyr Land Yacht, grey-black (USA, 1936)

When the Wealthy Travel…

If you were a millionaire in the 1930s and ordinary hotels simply weren’t good enough, there was another option. Take your luxury accommodations with you.

That was essentially the thinking behind the extraordinary Zephyr Land Yacht, commissioned in 1936 by wealthy Milwaukee heir and socialite William Woods “Bill” Plankinton Jr. Plankinton came from one of Wisconsin’s prominent business families, whose fortune had its roots in Milwaukee’s meatpacking industry. He had the means to travel exceptionally well—and decided that what he really wanted was a home on wheels unlike anything else on the road.

For the job, he turned to a young Milwaukee industrial designer named Brooks Stevens, who would later become one of America’s best-known designers. The Zephyr was one of Stevens’ earliest automotive creations and offered an early glimpse of the streamlined, futuristic style that would become a hallmark of his work.

And this was no ordinary motorhome.

The roughly 45-foot-long Zephyr Land Yacht was a two-piece rig consisting of a dramatically rounded tractor and a large streamlined trailer. The tractor was built on an International Harvester chassis, while the trailer was developed from a Curtiss Aerocar, an innovative luxury trailer design with roots in aviation.

Inside, Stevens created something closer to a private railcar than a camping trailer. There was a living area, kitchen, bathroom with shower and hot and cold running water, sleeping accommodations for Plankinton and his guests, and separate quarters for the staff. Some accounts say the vehicle could accommodate Plankinton, as many as six guests, and a butler. An avid hunter and fisherman, Plankinton even had dedicated storage built in for rifles and fishing equipment.

It was extravagant, certainly, but it wasn’t merely a showpiece. Beginning in 1936, Plankinton used the Land Yacht extensively for long-distance travel, including trips between New York and California. Wherever it went, its sweeping bodywork and enormous proportions made it almost impossible to ignore.

The vehicle reportedly found an unexpected second purpose during World War II. When Plankinton became involved in U.S. Army recruiting activities in Wisconsin, he put the Land Yacht to work as both transportation and an attention-getting recruiting vehicle—something it was exceptionally well equipped to do.

Its influence also extended beyond Plankinton himself. The Zephyr helped establish the look and ambition of several later Brooks Stevens motorhomes and promotional vehicles, with their bulbous, aerodynamic shapes and emphasis on bringing the comforts of home onto the highway.

What ultimately happened to the original Zephyr Land Yacht is less clear. Few photographs and relatively little documentation have survived, although a detailed scale model now remains an important record of Stevens’ design.

Nearly 90 years later, the Zephyr still looks remarkably audacious. Part luxury residence, part Art Deco sculpture and part rolling declaration of wealth, it answered a wonderfully extravagant question... If you can afford to travel any way you like, why leave home at all?