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.

Featherlite Coaches History, 1987 to Today

The Featherlite Coaches history runs from a motor yacht builder in Sanford, Florida to a factory in Suffolk, Virginia, through more than 800 coaches.

Vantaré began as a builder of motor yachts. Everything that followed, including the way a Featherlite is put together today, came from that.

1. 1987

   Vantaré International, Inc. is founded by Michael Guth in Sanford, Florida. The company builds motor yachts and motor homes.

2. 1988

   The Clement family acquires an aluminum trailer manufacturer that uses the brand name Featherlite.

3. 1991

   Vantaré International debuts the first Vantaré motorhome at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, a yacht interior inside a Prevost shell.

4. 1992

   Featherlite begins building car transporters, and a long involvement in the racing industry begins.

5. 1994

   Featherlite, Inc. goes public on the Nasdaq under the ticker FTHR.

6. 1996

   Featherlite enters the luxury motorcoach market by acquiring Vantaré International, Inc., and becomes a leading manufacturer and marketer of luxury motorcoaches, building on its reputation in racing.

   Official Luxury Coach of NASCAR

7. 1997

   The Adams family adds Caldwell Brothers, a well known entertainer coach builder, to the AMADAS family of companies, forming Amadas Coach under the leadership of Jimmy Adams.

8. 1998

   Featherlite acquires Mitchell Companies, the manufacturer of Vogue.

9. 2000

   Featherlite becomes the only converter authorized by Prevost to build and install its own slide rooms, opening up floorplan possibilities no other converter could offer.

10. 2003

    Featherlite contracts with Amadas Coach to build the XLII motorhome.

11. 2004

    The Featherlite Vantaré H3-45 draws the market’s attention with its Super Slide, which adds 45 percent more stateroom space than the nearest competitor.

    Featherlite builds its 500th motorhome.

12. 2006

    Featherlite, Inc. merges with Universal Trailer Holdings Corp. and becomes a wholly owned subsidiary. Featherlite Coaches, Inc., a newly formed company controlled by key executives Conrad and Tracy Clement, purchases the motorcoach division. Coaches and Trailers become separate businesses.

13. 2007

    The Featherlite VIP Club becomes The Road Hogs Motorcoach and Motorcycle Club.

14. 2008

    Featherlite Coaches joins Amadas Coach and the Adams family. Production moves to Suffolk, Virginia, and the sales and service location in Sanford, Florida stays where Vantaré started.

15. 2009

    The first Featherlite Vantaré built entirely at the Suffolk facility, slide rooms and conversion together, debuts at the 2010 Tampa RV Super Show.

16. 2012

    Featherlite Coaches introduces its Lithium Ion battery package and an enhanced power management system.

17. 2019

    Intuitive Coach Control brings touchscreen operation to lighting, shades, climate, slides and more, from several places in the coach.

18. 2026

    Thirty years of Featherlite building luxury motorcoaches. Six to eight a year in Suffolk, Virginia, more than 800 completed, and a place on Prevost’s list of motorhome Converter Partners. The Sanford, Florida location is still open, in the town where Vantaré started.