Van clubs in the 70s | RetroFocus

Clubs began to spring up in the 1970s for people who spent countless hours and thousands of dollars doing up panel vans.
This episode of 'Flashez' aired on ABC TV Australia in 1977.
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[@paulbroderick4217]

When l was a kid my jaw used to drop at some of the artwork that was on the sides of these panelvans.All different themes ,science fiction, sword and sorcery,surfing.Just amazing

[@toastnjam7384]

I know, there were some amazingly good artworks. Kinda sad they ended up scraped in a junkyard.

[@abcnit]

@@toastnjam7384 i put mine over a cliff in 1987 on my 17 th birthday, and that's where it ended up,

[@zwerina56]

Called a shaggin’ wagon in its day - and the drive in movies lying back with the back open, those were the days....

[@fotorabia]

If its Rockin'..Dont Come Knockin'

[@Mick_4591]

And how many babies were conceived in the shagin wagon? Lots i suspect

[@TET2005]

WTF... sounds cool though...

[@TET2005]

@@fotorabia Best tagline...

[@Mick_4591]

@@TET2005 another phrase was Dont laught your daughter might be inside 😁

[@mcd3379]

Golden age of Australian motoring - when most of the cars on the road were actually made in Australia.

[@RobMacKendrick]

Fascinating to see what "van" meant in Australia in those days. We had the same van obsession in North America, with the same sort of murals and interiors and customised engines, but the vans themselves were very different. Basically built on a truck wheelbase, whereas these are cars. We have few if any vehicles like this, but seeing them here, I'd like one!

[@mjl8115]

not cars but utes!

[@deathrowinmate28]

Those were better times. Life was fun, simple and not overcomplicated

[@mattmcfarland9154]

My mums boyfriend had a 1975 hj sandman panelvan in lime green decked out in black crush velvet, sound system ,mirrors on the inside the roof in tne back and the like, this was in the mid 80s and the van had a mild 253, m21 aussie four speed floor shift and the Salisbury diff with those hotwire mags and we all went across from melbourne to perth 4 times and i rode in the back all the way and those were still the good ol days but you couldnt do that now you'd be booked we all must be seated with belts on ,miss those times.

[@andynixon2820]

Wow , brown crushed velvet upholstery , mirrored ceiling and custom airbrushed body . Love it .

[@rebbulldesertduke]

What a great time to be alive.

[@dextermorgan5893]

They were the good old days! I remember the vans in Perth when I was a young lad. The murals and art work on them were amazing,even the names were awesome- Dragonslayer, Loaded Dice, Vanquish,Van Demon,Misty Blues and my all time favourite- Midnight Erection!🤣👍😎🇦🇺

[@davechalmers7175]

Van Demon is still around and living in Noble Park last I heard

[@The_Last_Ninja]

What a wonderful time in Aussie history

[@area51isreal71]

That was great to watch, who could ever forget the van craze. It didn't go unnoticed by the car makers either. Sandman, Drifter and Surferoo came along from GMH, Chrysler and Ford to cash in on it. Man they were good days.

[@BatMan-xr8gg]

I had a 1977 HZ Sandman Panel Van. Excellent car and great for sleeping in when too drunk to drive, and having a good woman in the back doing the nasty. Good days back then.

[@PluckYeah]

I had an HX '76 Sandman, 308, 4 on the floor.. Canary yellow, blue stripe in 1992.. Such good times..

[@tyzon00800]

Glove boy

[@alanfunt4013]

Hard to believe Australia was ever like that. Proof it only takes 30 years to ruin a country if you put your mind to it. RIP the old, REAL Australia.

[@m2heavyindustries378]

all thx to you guys, boomer

[@iSobeyHvK]

no one else to blame but yourself. whats the bet you vote lnp lmao.

[@albertoftasmania]

Yeah well, if you were around back then and of age, it'd have been you lot (as a group) that did it. Now it's up to us to fix it.

[@johndavid3474]

Remember the fumes of leaded petrol flowing in, through the upper tailgate?

[@pauliejay4161]

Gotta love the Quadraphonic stereo. Bet he rang a few bells in that one.

[@krisdixon1192]

Quadrophonic or stereo. It can't be both.

[@navaho5430]

Just shows you its modern food, no fattys back then.

[@aussie8114]

If it’s rockin don’t come knockin 😂

[@kentallard8852]

Just checked on an inflation calculator and assuming this is from 1975, the middle of the 1970s, then that $15,000 would be today $108,268.

[@blastermaster2383]

No different to people today spending $150,000-$200,000 today on customs & classics.

[@nevilleabbott2330]

Holy crap, really, that's big dollars😳, this video is unreal

[@cameronalexander359]

Everyone was thin back then!

[@adamhobbs7672]

And we talked face to face

[@76charger63]

@@adamhobbs7672 Yep no social media to make us lazy and sit down all day watching pointless sh1t.

[@imtheonetosayit3657]

No militant vegans around. Women looked more happier than too.

[@jamiehope4580]

@@imtheonetosayit3657 that's because they were in the kitchen making sandwiches 😂

[@tangosucka8526]

Not thin. You mean everyone was the normal size that humans should be.

[@65cj55]

The best decade.

[@garymarquett7989]

The PV is an Aussie Icon and I did have a metalic blue HK Holden station wagon with a 192/ triple carbs and a 4 speed

[@totalrecall8385]

Back in the day when Aussie cars rulled the road .

[@montinaladine3264]

What do you mean by "rulled" mate? No such word.

[@holdenfan8532]

@@montinaladine3264 what are you, the spelling police?

[@steveluckhurst2350]

@@holdenfan8532 No, but he is right!

[@holdenfan8532]

@@steveluckhurst2350 yes, he is

[@MarkRaker]

Ahh yes, back when Oz was a great place to be.......no wonder I cry myself to sleep every night nowadays!

[@Ben.jack.in.off.to.you1]

best intro

[@philipmann9548]

Real cars. I feel sorry for people nowadays who are stuck with modern plastic cars

[@dawso2o2]

Love it I had a van in the 90s old hj with the 253 loved it to bad rust got most of them becoming hard to find and I lost my tinny too lol

[@Hitman-ds1ei]

Oh those we're the days, where did those vans all go, my kids just don't get it.

[@Nell3810]

They were also called sin bins.....

[@50NewEyes]

I miss my old XD pano......ahhh the memories...

[@drumstick74]

🚙 *1970s **_Pimp My Ride_* 🚙 😎

[@PluckYeah]

I had an HX '76 Sandman, 308, 4 on the floor.. Canary yellow, blue stripe in 1992.. Such good times..

[@sebbrazier5678]

“If she’s a rockin Don’t come’a knockin”

[@biggin9077]

In the 70's my brother had a stock standard Ford Falcon XB panel van and would get pulled over by the police on occasion. The police would ask what he had in the back, and he would say 'my work equipment'. Then the police always insisted on an inspection and would find...well....work equipment. Ahh, Queensland police in the 70's and 80's. The police harassment was worse when my sister drive that car.

[@HorseShit35]

Back when nobody gave a crap if the cops pulled you over, depending where you was the local copper probably played footy with the old man.

[@MafiaboysWorld]

Before the days of defects, engineering certificates and other BS. 👍

[@archygrey9093]

Defect notices and engineering certificates were a thing as far back as the 60s in Australia

[@Mick_4591]

Side pipes and sometimes pipes that ended just before rear tyres

[@janeblogs324]

They were called canaries, little yellow windscreen stickers. More than five on the window was respect

[@MafiaboysWorld]

@@janeblogs324 1 red > 10 canaries, I know from experience. 😉👍

[@Nell3810]

Ah, I remember this!!

[@chisel83]

The innovations 😂

[@Thespiansewist]

Wife got baptised in Sandman. True Sheila!

[@elysian95]

Replaced by duel cabs and rooftop tents.

[@KingOath]

HQ twin headlight front end was the best looking front end Holden ever made in my opinion. The single lights looked a bit too empty, the Z/J/X looked a bit too busy. They should’ve kept the Q body and stuck with mechanical improvements rather than facelifting them. And don’t even mention the WB... haha

[@LurkMoar101]

HZ PeeVee cost me 6k in the late 90s. Ended up spending close to 70k on her by the end. Dont think I'll even be able to find another one in decent condition in the this day and age. Absolute collectables now.

[@MrWackozacko]

Now it's all either fenced off, pay by the hour or full of Asians haha

[@denisemoloney1751]

Oh , my god .. The memories ..

[@mickmorrissey16]

I had a black Sandman back in the day and I had some fun with the V8 . Not to mention my busy hands when in the back when entertaining a young lady 😂

[@sutherlandA1]

The panel van crane just like disco music died as quickly as it began, would love one today though

[@michaelg8465]

Grew up in Parramatta and 8 yrs old at this time. Traveled in the back of a Malleys van to some of these areas. Violently car sick most of the time and can still smell the leaded petrol fumes watching this.

[@RemusKingOfRome]

OMG ! OMG! sweet, sweet memories ! but no big bins, sad

[@porthos6118]

And just for something different I had a '74 Escort van. My God I put some miles ( or K's ) on that thing.

[@TweedSuit]

If it's rockin', don't bother knockin'

[@sanning5729]

scarbough beach car park was full of vans every weekend in summer back in the day

[@saxongreen78]

$15000 in (I'm guessing) 1978 would get you house and land in a rural centre...a new Holden Premier would have been somewhere around $7k - that's a lotta bread, maan!

[@HorseShit35]

Sodham G'morris better to waste money on cars than drugs.

[@saxongreen78]

@@HorseShit35 :-) Depends on _which_ drugs!

[@desiolle2874]

What's the music in the outtro?...cool riff... Used to have an HJ...looked like a hearse...so great...

[@MacHaggiss]

Used to have a HJ sandman, 253 and M21, FAB

[@geoffgeoff143]

Vantastic

[@gregraymond428]

Ahhh, the good ol Quadraphonic Sound Systems.This Guy had a 2x2 front and rear speakers. Graphic Equaliser too. Yes the groovy good old days for sure. I managed to survive the crazy 70s too. (Ha,Ha)👍🇦🇺🤪

[@CHAPELQEYStv]

The early SUV, in Australia.

[@michaeledwards8058]

check out my PV man . I had HQ with stato front , bubble Windows and bubble bonnet 253 4 speed . wish I still had it

[@Mick_4591]

And for some it was the ultimate to have A Statesman front

[@saltydog888]

‘What’s wrong with a car?’ 😂😂🤣

[@adamhobbs7672]

Those where the days

[@joffa397]

My memory was if it's rocking don't bother knocking.

[@TheFunkhouser]

8-10.000 dollars to buy one totaled finished off, wouldnt get a good shell of one of them these days for that much. Wish I had a time machine. Would make a killing

[@rjl110919581]

SOME OF BEST YEARS OF LIFE DO UP CARS AND WAGONS AND VAN

[@mattmcfarland9154]

GMH, FORD and CHRYSLER brought out a recreational van in the day, holden sandman, ford gs sundowner and later the valiant drifter van and the ford surferoo was a prototype like the wb sandman and holdens hq superchicken van that still exists and I've heard many say the hj was the first sandman to leave the production line but read some history recently that about 90 hq sandmans were built from the factory, GMH were putting a toe in the water to see what public interest or response was like now what would a leyland p76 panelvan would of been like, maybe if british leyland australia had of survived this could of came to fruition and what would they have named it ,good worthy question and i know some may laugh at this one but hey we all have our opinions.

[@soundknight]

Fark! You couldn't write a script this good! It's The 'bloody' Castle! This videos going straight to the pool room. Tell im' ees' dreamin'.

[@michaeledwards8058]

how's the serenity

[@brianrourke3633]

Back before fun was illegal ...

[@snekjuce]

man im in the wrong era

[@kentallard8852]

Assuming the mid-1970s, so 1975, that $15,000 would be today $108,268.

[@BatMan-xr8gg]

Actually it is from 1978 as there are 1977 HZ Sandman Vans there.

[@shanetheodore1056]

Beutifull cars

[@flyingdutch9818]

The Karen 1.0 did not talk nearly as much as today’s Karens

[@TET2005]

@@tjmarx She sure did a lot of nasty talks in the shaggin wagon... lolx.

[@margareth1504]

Noticed that too, very quiet for a Karen

[@markgritt4876]

I got van aerial disease in 1 of those

[@stevenzeinert5664]

Where have they all gone ????

[@billmago7991]

Then they got sick of vans and got into the 4X4 craze now they are the grey nomads blocking the the highway with their caravans and winnibagos

[@stereomaster666]

Whats the song in the background?

[@brentonvelasquez4875]

Redline era brother.

[@Williamwerenberg]

What song is in the intro?

[@rodwilliams4170]

Where are they now???

[@TweedSuit]

Van Life. Pre-Internet.

[@monkeyintensity1]

Makes me want to convert my Renault Master.....

[@barrymcdonald9868]

and many a spilt bong eww

[@BatMan-xr8gg]

Never spilt mine. Took very good care not to do that.

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

The 70s, our soviet country was big

[@yc237]

Hello, Comrade

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

@@yc237 hello

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

@Frank L and your house I the biggest trailer

[@LordmonkeyTRM]

Hoping for some true blue Aussie blokes...

[@Alexander_Timonin]

An end of an era, only thing left we are left with is a shitty camry wannabe from Holden badged as a Commodore... disgraceful. But atleast we have our Thai built UTES

[@jackstorm9080]

The Virgin conversion

[@sharongoodsell9341]

Really Hard to believe it only took 35 years to ruin Australia, my mum let me drive her blue Beatle then my first was a HD holden great motors the memories will die with my generation I'm 64 almost 🤑

[@samshepherd26]

It'd cost a lot to recreate this footage

[@duncanyourmate2433]

didn't see a drifter ,

[@chriswaldron2617]

Some money those vans if they’re around today

[@liamgross7217]

Had a mate pull a 350 & 4 speed out of a HT Monaro and drop it in his Belmont van than took the Monaro to the tip. Not the best move looking back’ at it.

[@faizanjoyia]

These cars are probably worth bit of money if still in good condition

[@Spudmurphy1970]

Mobile virgin conversion units 😎

[@sherm0666]

The good old days, how things have changed. I was clearly born in the wrong era.

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

The 70s are better

[@stanmoon8806]

Cool pinto hearses... But we're are the Vans?

[@DoctorBrodski]

They're called panel vans

[@bigvee401]

Why is everyone so slim?

[@BatMan-xr8gg]

Spent to much on the Vans to eat properly. Van way more important. But you have to be a car lover to understand.

[@adamhobbs7672]

Fast food wasn't so much available

[@JessicaRivers-wc8jt]

All the weed

[@r1r1or2updownx3]

We call them hearsts in America

[@oz2strokeman394]

It's Hearse anywhere else

[@BeckVMH]

1:21 So sad, I bet that dog is dead by now.

[@nathanrykers7588]

Most those people probably are too

[@briancastro313]

australia is just upside down USA lmao

[@КГБКолДжорджКостанца]

The 70s, our country russia

[@rickt1866]

that's not a van

[@michaelsutherland6941]

Bigaaree

[@Tomek1985]

Back when Australia was a free country, not a communist dictatorship...

[@robertfoster7807]

that was before they realy stuffed up australia with uncontrolled immigration