"We've always thought that fashion/motoring industry collaborations have a real tendency to the cheese. But when you throw surfing into the mix - things are bound to stink to high heaven. In this spirit of extreme seasonal folly, Fiat "
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Boogie Nights: celebrating custom vans of the 1970s
Celebrating custom vans: the candy apple, metal-flaked bubble windowed rock n roll totems of 70s car culture
Custom vans summed up American car culture of the 1970s.
Intense marketing of these youth-oriented, Rock’n’roll lifestyle vehicles was pushed to the max. Featuring a distinct type of look, colour and feel, 70s custom vans produced for some of the most memorable imagery and most ridiculous paint jobs in car culture. We challenge you.
Click on these images and try not to desire a van to augment that lifestyle.
- In the seventies view of the world, the van was the ultimate totem of youth culture. In the states, there was a post-hippie generation that lapped it up.
- Marketing pushed the beach, beauty and freedom of spirit that a van represented to the max.
- Colours were key. As well as slot mags and hampers.
- Airbrushed paintjobs depicting scenes from the mountain and the deserts dominated.
- Bubble porthole windows were ubiquitous.
- Companies like GMC, Dodge and Ford were the big sellers
- And a whole industry of aftermarket goodies sprung up. Farah-Fawcett flicks were all the rage.
- Surf culture, of course, collaborated in creating the image
- Bushy blonde hair dos and armchair seats
- Media sprung up that catapulted it all into the stratosphere.
- We’ve been predicting the comeback of this scene for years
- But the running costs of gas guzzler like this has held back a new wave
- We wonder if your T6 Transporter would benefit from a bubble port hole and some metalflake?
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