Newell · Class A
Newell Classic
Classic is the name owners use for Newell coaches built before the Series 2000, from 1967 through the 1989 model year. The first were front-engine coaches based on the Streamline design. Newell introduced rear-engine coaches in 1971 and diesel power in 1972, and built its last front-engine coach in 1976. Later classics gained the 6V92 engine as standard (1980), the 8V92 engine (1985) and a 102-inch-wide body (1986).
Fact-checked. An independent reviewer checked this page against its cited sources.
All the years
Pick a model year
| Year | Configuration | Length | Chassis | Engine | Price when new |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 32-foot gas pusher (one owner's coach) | 32 ft | — | — | — |
A dash means that value has not been documented yet. Length, chassis and engine can change by floorplan inside one model year, so open a year for the full detail.
The story of the model
Classic history
NewellOwner.com divides these years into Classic Front Engine coaches, model years 1967 to 1973, and Classic Pusher coaches, model years 1972 to 1989. Newell's timeline says the first Newell was completed in Miami, Oklahoma, in 1967, after L.K. Newell brought Streamline's parts and unfinished shells there. Family RVing says the Streamline motorhome rode on a Ford chassis with a gasoline engine in front, but it does not say which chassis the first Newells used.
The magazine says L.K. Newell based his 1971 rear-engine coach on a FitzJohn bus chassis, with a bridge-style frame of small welded tubes that left room for open storage bays under the floor. Newell still describes its chassis as a bridge-truss design. A diesel version followed in 1972. One 1972 coach described by its owner in Family RVing was a 32-foot gasoline pusher.
Newell's timeline gives the main changes of the following years: the 6V92 engine as standard in 1980, the 8V92 in 1985, a 102-inch-wide body in 1986 and a coach longer than 40 feet in 1988. The timeline gives only a year for each change and does not say whether it is a model year. An owner-kept list says Newell's coach numbering system started in 1983, with 1983 models numbered from about 1 to 23.
Specifications and prices for the classic years were not found for this record, apart from one owner's account of a 1972 coach.
- 1967First Newell
The first Newell is finished in Miami, Oklahoma. Source ↗
- 1971First rear-engine coach
Newell introduces a rear-engine coach with open, pass-through storage bays under the floor. Source ↗
- 1972First diesel pusher
Newell introduces a rear-engine diesel coach. Source ↗
- 1976Last front-engine coach
Newell builds its last front-engine coach. Source ↗
- 19806V92 engine standard
The 6V92 becomes the standard engine. Source ↗
- 1983Coach numbering begins
The NewellGurus coach list says Newell's coach numbering system was put in place in 1983. It marks its 1983 range, about coaches 1 through 23, as uncertain. Source ↗
- 19858V92 engine
Newell introduces the 8V92 engine. Source ↗
- 1986102-inch-wide body
Newell introduces a coach 102 inches wide. Source ↗
- 1988Longer than 40 feet
Newell introduces a motorhome longer than 40 feet. Source ↗
Brochures and sources
- Our Story | Newell Coach ↗
- Our Story / Newell Coach ↗ — Newell's timeline, with the dated engine and body changes of the classic years.
- Newell Coach Corporation: The First 50 Years (Family RVing, December 2017) ↗ — Describes the Streamline origin, the Ford front-engine chassis and the 1971 and 1972 rear-engine coaches.
- Not New ... But Nifty (Family RVing, 2005) ↗ — An FMCA member's account of his 1972 Newell and the changes he made to it.
- Generations (NewellOwner.com) ↗ — Owner site's model-year ranges for the Classic Front Engine and Classic Pusher coaches.
- Year and coach numbers (NewellGurus owner forum) ↗ — Owner-kept list of coach numbers from the 1983 model year on.
Links open the original page. Facts are checked against these sources; tell us if you find one that is out of date.
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