Style on Wheels | 1970's Custom Van Craze

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Vintage Ad With Bikini Girl

The 1960’s had their counterculture revolution going on, with war protests and the civil rights moment happening simultaneously with the free love/dope flower children movement. When this group got a little older they continued to express their psychedelic free loving nature through the type of clothing they wore, the type of music they enjoyed and the type of art they liked.

In the 1970’s some of these individuals found a new way of expressing their independent cosmic nature by having murals painted on the side of their vans. These love wagons were somewhat cheep, easy to maintain and great for luggin a van full of stoners to the next Iron Butterfly Concert.

Vintage 70's van

Wait until you see the waterbed I installed in this baby!

Vintage Van Style

Who needs a limo when you can drive a van.

van-land

“Hey man you going to Van Land?”

Nothing says, “Hey I am a straight up guy,” like a painting of a horse in a cosmic desert on the side of your van

Brown, Yellow, orange and Beige never looked so good together.

The horse was a popular theme among these comsic cowboy enthusiasts.

Hey girls, guess what I am into?

So Hot your Cool, so Cool your hot!

The marketing geniuses at the big three automobile companies in the United States producing vans at the time Ford, Chevy and Dodge, all attempted to cash in on the craze with mixed results. Because of them we get to admire or laugh at the great adds that they produced in this era.

Beach Time Vintage Fun

Vintage 1970’s Ford Van Advertisement Featuring Surfers.

Vintage Van Ad

Good Times at the beach – Vintage Dodge van Advertisement.

In the 1980’s the Custom Van movement began to loose momentum as the new conversion van started to hit the market.


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One response to “Style on Wheels | 1970's Custom Van Craze”

  1. mike zilick Avatar
    mike zilick

    don’t you think its time to bring back the custom van crazzzzzzz….they brought back everything else…hot rodding cost’s has gone out of its mind,along with its technology…..custom vans were about more looks than performance…take a look at what the automotive industry has done to the van…FORD,WHAT A JOKE !!!!!!!!the worst decision chevy has made in the last 15 years, in my opion is to stop the astro van…..
    TO MUCH TECHOLOGY !!!!! WAIT TILL SKYNET FALLS………

    AND IT WILL…………………

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