Land yachts were large American cars manufactured from 1950 to 1980, known for their comfortable cruising position and boat-like ride. They were lavishly decorated and had excessive chrome and vinyl tops. The motorhome later assumed the land yacht title due to its ship-like appearance and onboard amenities.
A land yacht is a large automobile commonly manufactured in the United States (USA) from 1950 to 1980. Given the land yacht title for the type of driving and driving characteristics exhibited by large vehicles, these long and wide automobiles they seemed to float across the road when cruising at highway speeds. Commonly given to large four-door sedans, the land yacht moniker was also given to pickup trucks and some RVs in the 1970s. Big cars gave way to smaller and midsize vehicles in search of better fuel mileage in response to the nationwide fuel shortage of the 1970s.
The lavishly decorated interiors of the large land-based yachts imitated those of the luxurious ocean-going ships named after the vehicles. The thick padding on the seats creates a very comfortable cruising position from which to drive the car. These vehicles are very long and wide, therefore bumps in the road are smoothed out by the vehicle’s suspension system, resulting in a smooth, boat-like ride. The vehicle appears to float down the road as the heavy land yacht uses extra-tough suspension components to smooth out road imperfections, thus preventing bouncing. Steering on these large vehicles is often sloppy and unresponsive, giving a ship’s rudder feel as there is a noticeable delay in response to steering input.
Although very comfortable, the land yacht usually used excessive amounts of fuel making long, long voyages hard on the owner’s pocketbook. At the height of American land yacht production, the size of a vehicle’s tailfins was often the biggest visual appeal and best selling point. The 1959 Cadillac holds the title for the largest tail fins ever produced on an American automobile, with Cadillac’s fins measuring 6 fares long (1.83m). Excessive chrome and vinyl tops were common options on large vehicles.
As the car began to dwindle in the US, the motorhome began to assume the land yacht title. The large caravan resembled a yacht, with its high sides and overall ship-like appearance. Another factor that added to the nickname was the appearance of several RVs once parked at a campsite. The large campers lined up side by side at the campsite gave the appearance of yachts in a harbor, all lined up and tied to a dock. Onboard toilets, galleys and entertainment systems were also added to the yacht title for campers.
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