Our Heritage

We trace our roots back to the yacht building industry, where our top-of-the-line Vantaré motorhomes were born.  The first Vantaré coach was essentially a Prevost bus shell upfitted with a luxury yacht interior and reliable marine quality systems, and it was a game changer.  It was built just off of the St. John River, in the Port of Sanford, Florida by the same designers, engineers, and craftsmen who were building the highly regarded Rex-Meyer and Vantaré yachts (pictured) at the time.  That first Vantaré motorhome made it’s public debut at the 1991 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and was an immediate hit. The coach sold at the show, and buyers lined up with orders for more of the unique, yacht-quality coaches.  The Vantaré coach became so popular that the production of luxury motorhomes soon exceeded production of Vantaré yachts.

In the late 1990’s, as Vantaré gained market share, Featherlite was building a great reputation in the racing world, particularly among NASCAR team owners, who wanted a luxury motorhome with the quality and reliability they enjoyed in their Featherlite team haulers.  Featherlite and Vantaré joined forces, and grew to become a major builder of custom luxury motorhomes in the motorsports world, especially in NASCAR.  The Featherlite Vantaré motorhome became the gold standard for the top drivers and team owners, who demanded luxury, performance, and reliability.  This discriminating clientele appreciates the core attributes that define the Featherlite Vantaré: yacht quality fit & finish, robust systems, light-weight construction, innovative design, and reliability.

In 2009, Featherlite Coaches production was moved to a newer, more modern facility in Suffolk, VA, and got a boost of engineering and manufacturing resources from the Adams family, who had been longtime coach owners and OEM manufacturers.  With the new plant situated near the maritime centers of Tidewater and the Outer Banks, the Featherlite Vantaré heritage of yacht quality and systems continues under the charge of the Adams and a very talented team of engineers, designers, and craftsmen.  In fact, many of the core group of craftsmen building Featherlite Coaches in Suffolk have years of experience building some of the finest custom offshore fishing boats for Hines-Farley Yachts (pictured).

Most people know that the top-of-the-line Featherlite Coaches motorhome model is the Vantaré – but how many know the meaning of the name Vantaré?  Most folks think the name means to travel or arrive in style.  We can’t disagree, but literally, Vantaré (Italian) means “to praise enthusiastically, vaunt, or extol.”  We certainly enthuse about our Vantaré luxury coaches, and we hope our coach owners rave about them, too – especially as they arrive in style!

We invite you to tour the Featherlite Coaches manufacturing facilities in Suffolk, VA to see our continuing commitment to the Vantaré tradition of yacht-quality fit & finish and offshore reliability through innovative engineering, advanced manufacturing techniques, and timeless craftsmanship.  This is where the best-designed and best-built luxury motorcoaches in America are born.