Passing motorists and incoming air travelers may wonder why a large collection of shiny silver Airstream trailers is sitting next to Plattsburgh International Airport.

Much like the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base, they are being prepared for a return to their former glory at GSM Vehicles, owned by Colin Hyde. The company is dedicated to custom restoration or renovation of vintage Airstream and other travel trailers.

"We can take a vintage shell and rebuild it to better than new standards," he said.

Hyde said there are about 40 Airstream trailers on the site, and several vintage trailers from other companies. About 90 percent of the trailers were brought to Plattsburgh from other parts of the country, while a few came from abroad.

In the beginning, people called GSM when they acquired a vintage Airstream. Lately, more and more are calling to see if GSM has one available for restoration.

Some let GSM handle all aspects of a restoration. They can direct the process, but the work has to be done at the Plattsburgh shop.

Others have GSM restore their Airstream to a solid base and then do the interior renovations themselves.

The boom in restoration of Airstream and other travel trailers is largely a phenomenon of the computer age, which makes it easier to find vintage parts and allows people to keep in touch through chat rooms, Hyde said.

People can usually find a vintage Airstream and buy it for a few thousand dollars. It's the restoration that gets expensive, sometimes in excess of $100,000, he said.

Hyde and his crew are also working on restoration of a 1952 Airstream Cruiser for actor Matthew McConaughey. The project, named Vintage Thunder, has been the subject of several articles in Airstream Life magazine.

The trailer is presently gutted, but an interior design mock up has illustrated several interesting features.

At McConaughey's request, portions of the interior will feature bamboo veneer. Hyde's wife, Susanne Brown, an interior design specialist, also found a brass sprinkler at a local antiques shop that will be used as a rotating shower head.

A pair of 1928 LaSalle driving lamps will receive a new layer of chrome and used as reading lamps, while door handles from a 1935 DeSoto Airstream automobile will serve as coat hooks.

Brown came up with the idea to use two shorter refrigerators side by side to provide the same space as a large refrigerator while keeping sight lines clean, a design feature that has proved popular with other clients.

McConaughey also asked that a classic poster of singer Bob Marley playing soccer be incorporated into the interior. Hyde and Brown found a way to print the poster on an aluminum panel that was attached to the trailer door, viewable in the canopy are when the door is open and in the interior when the door is closed.