Gulf Stream Introduces Innovative Floor Plan To Friendship G7 Lineup
Gulf Stream Coach Inc., C2697, based in Nappanee, Indiana, has added another floor plan to its lineup of luxury motorhomes. The 2006 Friendship G7 8387 is a 38-foot, triple-slideout coach built on a Freightliner chassis that comes standard with a 350-horsepower Caterpillar engine, a six-speed Allison transmission, and a full air-ride suspension. A 400-horsepower Cummins engine is optional.
The interior features a 7-foot-high ceiling, with 6 feet of ceiling-height clearance inside the street-side living area slideout, which measures 42 inches deep and 147 inches wide. Slideouts on each side of the bedroom make room for an 80-inch-long king-size bed and a wardrobe. Having just a street-side slideout in the living area provides plenty of unobstructed patio space outside the entry. It also allows easy curb-side access to the storage bays, which feature the company’s “Store Galore” organizers and an Easy-Glide basement storage drawer.
Other amenities include a Hydro-Hot heating system; long-lasting, fade-resistant full-body paint graphics; hand-rubbed cherry wood or optional European-style white laminate cabinetry; a stowaway computer desk; and a kitchen trash can with an exterior trash hatch.
For more information about this coach and other Gulf Stream products, call (800) 262-2094, ext. 3288, or visit www.gulfstreamrv.com.
Colton RV Hits The Mall
Colton RV, C6442, located in North Tonawanda, New York, between the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, recently expanded its dealership to a second location. Although opening a second outlet is not uncommon for RV dealers, the location of Colton’s new operation is unusual. It’s in a shopping mall.
On Tuesday, January 18, 2005, Colton RV officials, local politicians, and area business leaders attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Buffalo Niagara RV & Camping Outlet, located inside the Eastern Hills Mall in Williamsville, a suburb of Buffalo. Occupying more than 40,000 square feet of space, the outlet immediately became the largest indoor RV showroom in New York state.
According to published reports, Colton RV decided to lease the space following better than expected sales at the Buffalo Niagara RV & Camping Show, which ran in the same location from December 26, 2004, to January 9, 2005.
Buffalo Niagara RV & Camping Outlet has enough space to accommodate 80 vehicles indoors. Another advantage to the location is that it is 1¼ miles from Interstate 90, just east of downtown Buffalo. The Eastern Hills Mall has four anchor tenants and more than 85 specialty stores.
For more information about the Buffalo Niagara RV & Camping Outlet, call (716) 565-0170.
Foretravel To Change Ownership
Foretravel Inc., C236, the family-owned-and-operated motorhome manufacturer that was founded in 1967 by C.M. Fore, has tentatively been sold to a group of investors led by Lyle Reed of Frisco, Texas. The transaction was expected to be finalized on February 15, 2005.
Mr. Reed, the former president and CEO of Chicago, Central, and Pacific Railroad, completed a 30-year career in the railroad industry in 1996. He became interested in purchasing the company after buying a 2005 custom coach from Foretravel.
He is joined in the endeavor by Dr. Dane Miller, president and CEO of Biomet Inc., a designer and manufacturer of medical implants, which is headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana; and Gregory Amys, a former business executive and longtime associate of Mr. Reed. Mr. Amys resides in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin.
Floyd Wilcox, vice president of Foretravel, took over as interim president of the company following the preliminary sales announcement. Upon completion of the deal, Mr. Reed will become the company’s president.
The ownership change is not expected to affect previous Foretravel motorhome owners, and the company will continue to maintain its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Nacogdoches, Texas.
RVs Employed During Inauguration Festivities
During the wintry inauguration celebration that took place in Washington, D.C., January 18, 19, and 20, 2005, President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush stayed warm and relaxed inside a type A motorhome dubbed “RV One.” Besides the first couple’s coach, two dozen other RVs requested by the Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC) were used to keep officials and special guests comfortable during the festivities.
The motorhomes served as high-tech, climate-controlled headquarters for President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, White House senior staff, and celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest, Kenny Chesney, Patti LaBelle, Andrea Bocelli, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hillary Duff, Angie Harmon, Gary Sinise, Ruben Studdard, and The Temptations.
“When the inauguration committee needed to keep all the dignitaries comfortable during a frigid Washington winter, they turned to the RV industry and the industry delivered,” commented Derrick Crandall, president of the American Recreation Coalition (ARC). “RVs played a large role in making the inauguration activities a great success.”
The motorhomes were used for a variety of purposes. Two RVs were set up at the Washington Convention Center for personal use by President Bush, the first lady, Vice President Cheney, and Mrs. Cheney during the festivities.
Twelve RVs were used by performers Hillary Duff and Ruben Studdard (from American Idol) at “America’s Future Rocks Today,” a youth concert held January 18 at The Washington, D.C. Armory. More than 10,000 young fans attended the concert.
Eleven RVs were employed as VIP holding rooms and as staff offices for the PIC and the White House at the “Celebration of Freedom” ceremony held on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.
Some of the RVs also were used as mobile headquarters for the PIC staff and as holding rooms for officials at other events at locations ranging from RFK Stadium (the staging area for the parade and entertainer transport) to the midpoint of the parade route, which proceeded down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Participating manufacturers and dealers were as follows: Airstream; Thor Industries, C847; Monaco Coach Corporation, C2111; Winnebago Industries, C93; McGeorge’s Rolling Hills RV Supercenter, C1811; Parkview RV Center, C3431; and Cruise America.