Back in the 1970′s there was this crazy trend to do up custom vans. They came shod with shag carpet, painted murals, full bars, comfy mattresses and of course the prerequisite side pipes. Some people looked at the van trend simply as creepy, but me, I actually dug it. Listen, there is nothing inherently cool about a bone stock cargo van, but dress it up a little and give it some creature comforts and well, that’s a different story. The custom vans of the 1970′s and early 1980′s went from mild to downright absurd. Thousands upon thousands of dollars were spent on customizing and like any custom project, they were never, ever done. Back then enthusiasts would hold “truck-ins” or “van-ins” to display their creations and let me tell you, the interiors were just as important as the exteriors.

As we rolled into the mid-1980′s the custom van movement began to die out. Fuel prices had risen and those teenagers that were into rocking in the 1970′s were now growing up and getting respectable jobs (imagine that). Nowadays everyone out there is either restoring muscle cars or antique cars, but vans; not so much.

Today were seeing “Respect the Van” and “Swagger Wagon” minivan commercials from the likes of Honda and Toyota. Let’s be honest though, while those are great, practical and reliable, they simply can’t hold a candle to the rockin’ boxes of yesteryear.

Long Live the Van.

Hat tip: DodgeCharger.com

Image: Karsan USA

The citizens of New York have spoken, and their choice for the next New York City taxi is the Karsan V1. Hardly a favorite going into the competition, the underdog from Turkey scored points for comfort, handicapped accessibility and its panoramic glass roof. Designed to accommodate gasoline, compressed natural gas or electric propulsion, the Karsan’s modular design should make it easier to service than non-purpose built vehicles. Karsan manufactures commercial vans and busses in Turkey, so they know a thing or two about building rugged vehicles that are easy to service. Want to see some highlights of the Karsan V1? Hit the video below.

Sixty six percent of respondents favored the Karsan over designs from Nissan and Ford. That’s not to say that Karsan automatically has the business, since the final award is entirely up to New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, and I can’t imagine that Ford (who’s owned the NYC taxi business for years) will go down without a fight. Should Karsan get the award, the plan is to build the V1’s in Turkey, using a high percentage of U.S. parts. Engines, for example, will be supplied by Chrysler or General Motors; should their U.S. business expand, the company is willing to consider domestic production with a partner company. That’s still a ways off, and entirely dependent upon winning the New York taxi business.

I’ve always been one to cheer for the underdog, so I hope Karsan gets the award. Their design is the most innovative, and it’s clearly won over the hearts of New Yorkers. As someone who spent the better part of his life living in the NYC area, I can tell you that’s an impressive achievement on its own.

Source: Autoevolution

I was trolling through the blog over at Hemmings.com when I came across this forgotten piece of Ford history. This is a European only Ford Transit van that has beenslightly modified with a few go fast goodies to enhance its otherwise dismal performance. Originally built to bring some notoriety to the Transit vans, the vehicle was more of a publicity stunt then anything else. That didn’t mean however that it didn’t perform. Modifications included a 5.0-liter 435 hp V8, that was lowered into a custom space-frame chassis inside the Transit vans cargo hold. The transmission was a manual 5-speed unit, with the brakes and fully independent suspension being sourced from the iconic Ford GT40. All this race technology made the Transit van good for a top speed that was a tick over 150 mph, making it the world’s quickest barn door. The Supervan was a very cool experiment that, from what I can tell, had a pretty good following back in the day. Recently Ford released the Transit Van to the U.S. market which has me thinking that it may be time for a new experiment.

If you ever need to traverse the vast, wild hinterlands of . . . Germany . . . you’ll need this VW Transporter 4X4. It’s called the Rockton 4Motion and it’s the most bad-ass VW currently for sale. Can you say Haldex and locking diffs? Can you say diesel and six-speed transmission? Yes, it’s that awesome.

Source: Autoblog

The Rockton will be sold out of Volkswagen’s Commercial Vehicles division. The van has 4th-generation Haldex all-wheel-drive system with a locking rear diff. It rides 1.2 inches higher than the base Transporter and is shod in beefy tires for off-road duty. The Rockton is powered by a 2-liter turbo-diesel that puts out 138 or 178 horsepower and enough torque to pull down the Alps. A six-speed manual transmission is standard.

For a few extra bucks the VW factory will outfit the Rockton with 16-inch wheels, hardcore off-road tires, skid plates, and a floor rail system for variable seating and cargo configurations. A transmission with a low rock-crawling gear is also an option.

I never thought I’d lust after a factory VW Transporter. But here I am. Unfortunately, the Transporter Rockton 4motion isn’t available in the States, so I’ll just have to make due with a Ford E150 4X4 van.

2011 Ford Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon. Photo: Ford Motor Company

Ford’s Transit Connect makes a lot of sense for tradesmen and small businesses. It’s got enough room to haul your stuff around, and its 2.0 liter inline four sips gas. The Transit Connect is stylish enough for a boxy, compact van, and it did pick up the 2010 North American Truck of the Year award. It’s the van you buy when you don’t need something as roomy (or expensive) as a Dodge Sprinter, or a full size Ford E Series.

Photo: Ford Motor Company

Ford’s offered the Transit Connect in XLT Wagon trim since launch, which gives you a second row of seats if you need to haul passengers as well as cargo. It even gives you two more windows for passengers to ponder their surroundings, but the cargo area remains dark. Like full sized vans, the interior amenities were best described as “spartan”. If you like the look of painted sheetmetal and spars, then you’ll love the look of the Transit Connect XLT, which has no sound deadening or interior panels.

Enter the Transit Connect XLT Premium, which features a finished interior, more comfortable seating and widows in the cargo area so rear seat occupants feel more like passengers and less like hostages. The rear windows even swing open for ventilation, which helps to aid passenger escape comfort. The driver gets integrated blind spot mirrors and a rearview camera, which makes backing the Transit Connect an easier task.

Photo: Ford Motor Company

Ford’s chief nameplate engineer for commercial vehicles, Rob Stevens, insists they built the Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon based on customer demand. Stevens says, “Since Transit Connect arrived here as the ‘ultimate tool’ for small business proprietors, we’ve heard requests from potential personal-use customers. Buyers looking for a taller wagon with seating for five passengers and generous cargo space have shown significant interest in Transit Connect.”

Maybe I’m missing something, but Ford’s already got a five seat crossover (the Edge) and a seven seat crossover (the Flex) in their product line. Both are specifically designed to haul people in comfort, where the Transit Connect is designed to haul up to 1,600 pounds of cargo, with passenger comfort and amenities being an afterthought. I’d have no issue in driving an Edge or Flex cross-country, but would have second thoughts about driving a Transit Connect cross-state.

Here’s what it really comes down to: the Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon starts at $23,200, while the Edge starts at $27,220 and the Flex at $29,075. Are there enough buyers of modest means (and modest expectations) looking for a boxy-but-good five passenger van? Can a commercial vehicle be dressed up enough to function as a semi-comfortable passenger car? Ford’s guessing that the answer to both questions is “yes”, but I’m not sure I’m convinced.

The Swagger Wagon Supreme. Photo: Toyota

As a sports car guy and a motorcycle guy, I don’t have much use for minivans. They’re slow (over-boosted Chrysler turbo minivans excepted), they’re ill-handling and they eat a little bit of your soul every time you climb behind the wheel. Sure, they’re good at moving people and their trappings from one place to another, but they don’t go off-road, you can’t haul a bike in one and they don’t give you much towing capacity. The automotive equivalent of purgatory, minivans exist between the heaven of sports cars and the hell of boring sedans. The sole positive comment I can make about them is that they’re usually comfortable.

Photo: Toyota

Toyota may have just changed my mind with their Swagger Wagon Supreme, built for the SEMA Show by B.A.D. Company. Starting point was a 2011 Toyota Sienna V^, stretched by some 44 inches. The steel roof was replaced by an acrylic one, to let in light and create atmosphere. A custom pneumatic suspension was added, which allows the Swagger Wagon Supreme to vary ride height from 2.5 inches to 6.5 inches, and 20” wheels were added for an element of style. The color is called “Blue Swagger Opal”, and it was sprayed over a pearlescent base. Don’t expect the multi-stage paint to be offered by Toyota any time soon.

Photo: Toyota

Inside, the Swagger Wagon Supreme is positively pimptastic. Seats have reversible cushions, one side with color matched leather for adults and one side with color for the kids. Two swiveling captains chairs are used, one fitted with massage cushions, and a hideaway table can be used to hold the requisite gin and tonic while you roll in style. A refrigerator ensures that your mixers and limes stay nice and cold, while the Corian countertop gives you a place to slice your limes. The floor and cabinets are Brazilian cherry wood, which adds a nice touch of class to the Swagger Wagon Supreme.

Photo: Toyota

You won’t get bored as you roll in style, since the SWS has a Windows 7 PC with a 23” touch screen monitor, an Xbox 360 system and a custom JBL audio system with 1700 watts of power. That’ll get your neighbor’s attention as you roll through the ‘hood, tunes-a-cranking.

Would I want to drive this beast? Hell no, but I wouldn’t mind rolling in it for a night on the town on someone else’s dime. How about it Toyota? I’ll give the Swagger Wagon Supreme a full road test, just give me the van, a driver, and a healthy supply of limes.

In the world of cars it should be no surprise that each automotive sub-culture has its own lifestyle attributes. Rat Rods for example are generally tied with that 50′s greaser style, low-riders thrill people with their over the top paint schemes and interiors, and the muscle car crowd goes big and heavy with ground and pound horsepower. There is of course on other genre of classic vehicle that also attracts a certain element, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say they were viewed as less than favorable. Enter the custom van, machines that to this day, frighten the parents of young girls the world over. Futurist paint schemes, shag carpet and Cragar’s were prerequisites on any and all vans, as was the “If this Vans a Rockin’, Don’t come a Knockin’” bumper sticker that graced countless rear ends.

Nowadays we must live with family machines like the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, which although nice, lack any sort of coolness. I hate to say this, but in some odd way I am attracted to these bad boy boxes and just may, one day, have to build one. Luckily though I haven’t given it any thought whatsoever…

Source: RalfBecker.com

The Ford Transit van has a fervent fan base in the UK. It’s the best-selling on the isles and has been for more than 45 years. Chances are if you ever purchased goods in the Queen’s country, they’ve been in a Ford Transit. To celebrate its unsurpassed success, Ford UK is releasing a racy version of cargo hauler: The Transit SportVan. It is positively smashing. The SportVan is based on the short-wheelbase Transit and comes with a 140-horsepower turbo-diesel, 18-inch wheels, dual exhaust, and racing stripes. Well I never! Only 100 examples will be made and they’re probably sold out already. Unfortunately, you won’t ever see the rude van in the states. But you just might catch a glimpse of it while you’re on vacation, tearing down cobblestone streets with reckless disregard for its cargo.

Jackie’s father was all set to let his little girl go out with Hank until he showed up in his new ride…

Source: YouDriveWhat.com

Photo by Jesse Hammer

Friend of RideLust Jesse Hammer spied this cheese-tastic 8-bit van on the streets of San Francisco. No, it’s not painted like that to lure minors into the dank lair beyond its tinted windows. It’s a rental. New Zealand-based Escape Campervans has a small fleet of custom GMC vans for hire in the US. This one, of course, features video game classics. Others rock wicked flames, tropical fish, peace signs, and more. All of them have been hand-painted by professional artists. Right on. Hit the jump for more of Jesse’s photos.