[Fulltiming]

With Newells being constructed in Miami, OK (pronounced My-am-uh not like the city in Florida) and placing his name on his coaches in 1967, Newell started looking to the future. In 1969, L.K. Newell purchased a Madsen rear mounted gasoline engine school bus chassis and built the first rear-engine Newell. It was the ONLY Newell built on a Madsen pusher chassis. In 1969, L.K. purchased a 1950 Fitzjohn rear engine bus. When he removed the body, he found a self-supporting 'bird cage' or 'bridge construction' chassis with frame rails. This was a major step in the direction he had wanted to go when he purchased the Streamline Travel Home. In 1970 L.K. built the prototype for Newell's rear engine chassis. The self-supporting feature was the key for Newell. This allowed doors and windows to be located anywhere without the problems resulting from cutting into the sidewalls of a monocoque body that most buses use.

The Newell Chassis utilized welded steel, bridge-truss construction to distribute stresses throughout the coach and chassis. It was the first motorhome with a basement. It eliminated frame rails between front and rear axles. L.K. probably couldn't fully appreciate the ease with which his chassis design would allow the integration of slide-outs over 25 years later.

In 1972, Newell built his first rear engine diesel powered motorhome. In the tradition of giving his customers what they wanted, that coach was a special order by customer Al White. L.K. originally objected to installing a dirty, smelly diesel engine but Mr. White insisted. The combination of diesel power and rear engine placement was unique to Newell for several years and put Newell on the motorhome map. Newell continued to sell front engine coaches until 1976 but the die was cast for rear diesel power.