The RV – or recreational vehicle – is usually a model classified as a motorhome. It’s a vehicle that isn’t just meant to get you from one place to another. It’s there to ensure you’re at home no matter where you’re traveling. Modern RVs come with kitchen tables, bathrooms, bedrooms, and more. Some large RVs can have as many as 400 square feet available to travelers. That’s almost as big as most studio apartments.
When was the First RV Built?
In 1904, someone got a bright idea and inadvertently made vehicles almost as good as home. This very rudimentary version of the RV took a regular automobile and added bunk beds and an icebox. No, it wasn’t the RV we know today or even close, but it showed that humans were starting to think of automobiles differently. And it likely led to the official first motorhome that was released in the year 1910.
This motorhome was called Pierce-Arrow’s Touring Landau and was shown off in Madison Square Garden. Since 1904, someone had been asking themselves how to improve on that one bunk, one icebox combination that the first builder added to their automobile. Why not build a vehicle that’s less for travel and more for leisure? You wouldn’t recognize this model as an “RV” just looking at it. However, it can comfortably be called the first commercial RV built in the U.S. specifically for camping and traveling.
RVs offer experiences that the average or even exceptional automobile can’t. While seating in a regular van or SUV is comfortable for the road, it doesn’t mimic how families interact at home. With RVs, you can have accessories like kitchen tables, microwaves, fridges, televisions, and even outdoor grills. None of these things are available on typical American autos. Dealerships are responsible for keeping the spirit of RVs alive and help customers find RVs that align with their travel goals. Just because it’s not a car or a truck or an SUV doesn’t mean the RV isn’t still one of the most important vehicles in the U.S. If you take travel seriously, check out our RV selection.
More Information about RV History
If you’d like to explore the history of RVs more, please get in touch with a member of our sales team. Our team has an excellent knowledge of RV history and current models available today.
