Vintage RV – Meet a Laze Daze Motorhome
Laze Daze motorhomes have a faithful and devoted following among RVers, primarily south of the 49th.
You don’t see too many Laze Daze motorhomes in Canada. This one doesn’t really qualify as a vintage RV, though its styling does seem a little dated. I came across this Laze Daze unit this fall sitting in a parking stall in what was until recently called, The Bavarian City of the Rockies.
So what’s the story behind the Laze Daze motorhomes?
The company is based in Montclair, California and sells their motorhomes factory-direct rather than through a traditional dealer network. Why? Their simplistic website explains, “If we had sales outlets or a retail dealer network selling our coaches, the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) would be $20,000.00 more per coach than our factory direct wholesale pricing.”
According to NADA Guides, “One of the earlier entrants into the Class C motorhome business, Laze Daze began producing recreational vehicles back in 1956. Constructing high quality motorhomes, Laze Daze has been recognized as dependable products for years of camping adventures. Laze Daze continues to operate as a made-to-order builder of Class C motorhomes retaining a focus for upscale construction.”
Here’s a bit more history of Laze Daze motorhomes compiled by a fellow who goes by the handle WxToad: “In the early 50's, two Pomona High School shop teachers, Paul Newton and Harold Hamm, started building truck campers for themselves and soon friends were asking them to build more for them. Thus was born Newham Industries. They built their first campers at home in the evenings and on weekends. Eventually they quit teaching and started building campers full-time."
“Harold Hamm died suddenly, probably in the early 60's. After this, Paul asked his brother Ed Newton to join the company. Ed was already a successful businessman selling produce in the southland. Ed brought needed business capability into the company (Paul was the camping member of the family). Thus the birth of Laze Daze as we know it. Paul was the creative genius behind the many LD features: coach appearance/design, paint scheme, floor plans, large windows; Ed, with his degree in economics, developed a business plan. He said they would never finance; never have RV companies sell LDs and never build a slide out.”
He continues, “An interesting part of the LD history is the slow, incremental changes and improvements to the product. The Newtons have historically been slow to adapt to newer technologies, although that is changing a bit under Steve’s stewardship. We’ve seen the incorporation of LED exterior lights and AGM batteries, for example. But we've never seen a slide-out model from the Mothership; however, that did not stop one LD owner who wanted a slide and had one custom made for his/her 23.5 LD.”
Clearly the Laze Daze motorhomes have a faithful and devoted following among RVers, primarily south of the 49th, with a long and colourful history of manufacturing legacy — but remember they only deal factory-direct.
Share your classic RV restorations, or tell us your favourite story about a cool vintage unit you've encountered by filling out our Classic Vintage RV form.
