by Paul Hecht
John Serro was on to something when he branded the tag line, ''Travel Right, Travel Light, The Scotty Way.'' In fact, he was way ahead of his time when he designed and built an affordable, easy to tow, totally self-contained travel trailer in his garage in 1956. By the 1990s the Serro Scotty brand had exploded into a full line of trailers including fifth wheels, 50-foot park models and eventually a line of motorhomes. But in 1997 the bright light of the Serro Scotty trailer company took a dark turn when its plant in Irwin, Pennsylvania, burned down, marking the end of the production line. Eventually, in 2007, Serro Scotty Worldwide was formed and a new version modeled after John Serro's original vision was back on the market and can be spotted alongside its older sibling in campgrounds around the country.
This book details John Serro's journey from producing the first 16' Scotty Pup trailer in 1956 to the more popular 18' HiLander produced in the 60's and 70's. Because Scotty Trailers were not produced on an assembly line, no two are exactly alike. The Scotty line, while fairly extensive (ranging from teardrops to fully self-contained 18' models), was simple in design, most sporting the iconic aqua and white paint scheme, and all stamped with the Scotty Pup logo. Not only are Scotty Trailers quintessentially retro, they are lightweight, very affordable and easy to restore, and accessible to everyone!
Paul Hecht, an Interior designer, has appeared on several television shows as a design expert and was a series regular on Lifetime Television's "Merge" with Lisa Rinna. He purchased and restored his first trailer while in college and recently stumbled upon a Serro Scotty in the Pennsylvania countryside, which he quickly transformed into his design office, complete with vintage wallpaper, chandeliers and pink flamingos.
