Van clubs in the 70s | RetroFocus

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  • čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
  • 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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Komentáře • 176

  • @paulbroderick4217
    @paulbroderick4217 Před 3 lety +26

    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
      @toastnjam7384 Před 3 lety +4

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

    • @abcnit
      @abcnit Před 3 lety

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

  • @zwerina56
    @zwerina56 Před 5 lety +79

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

    • @fotorabia
      @fotorabia Před 3 lety +2

      If its Rockin'..Dont Come Knockin'

    • @Mick_4591
      @Mick_4591 Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @TET2005
      @TET2005 Před 3 lety

      WTF... sounds cool though...

    • @TET2005
      @TET2005 Před 3 lety +1

      @@fotorabia Best tagline...

    • @Mick_4591
      @Mick_4591 Před 3 lety +1

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

  • @mcd3379
    @mcd3379 Před 3 lety +29

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

  • @deathrowinmate28
    @deathrowinmate28 Před 3 lety +32

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

  • @mattmcfarland9154
    @mattmcfarland9154 Před 3 lety +7

    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.

  • @RobMacKendrick
    @RobMacKendrick Před 2 lety +5

    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
      @mjl8115 Před 2 lety +1

      not cars but utes!

  • @andynixon2820
    @andynixon2820 Před 3 lety +11

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

  • @dextermorgan5893
    @dextermorgan5893 Před 3 lety +9

    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
      @davechalmers7175 Před 3 lety +3

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

  • @BatMan-xr8gg
    @BatMan-xr8gg Před 3 lety +30

    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
      @PluckYeah Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @tyzon00800
      @tyzon00800 Před rokem

      Glove boy

  • @rebbulldesertduke
    @rebbulldesertduke Před 3 lety +8

    What a great time to be alive.

  • @alanfunt4013
    @alanfunt4013 Před 4 lety +21

    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
      @m2heavyindustries378 Před 3 lety +2

      all thx to you guys, boomer

    • @iSobeyHvK
      @iSobeyHvK Před 2 lety +1

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

    • @albertoftasmania
      @albertoftasmania Před rokem

      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.

  • @area51isreal71
    @area51isreal71 Před 5 lety +8

    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.

  • @johndavid3474
    @johndavid3474 Před 3 lety +9

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

  • @The_Last_Ninja
    @The_Last_Ninja Před 3 lety +3

    What a wonderful time in Aussie history

  • @cameronalexander359
    @cameronalexander359 Před 5 lety +61

    Everyone was thin back then!

    • @adamhobbs7672
      @adamhobbs7672 Před 3 lety +14

      And we talked face to face

    • @76charger63
      @76charger63 Před 3 lety +4

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

    • @imtheonetosayit3657
      @imtheonetosayit3657 Před 3 lety +3

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

    • @jamiehope4580
      @jamiehope4580 Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @tangosucka2000
      @tangosucka2000 Před 3 lety +8

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

  • @navaho5430
    @navaho5430 Před 3 lety +13

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

  • @aussie8114
    @aussie8114 Před 5 lety +27

    If it’s rockin don’t come knockin 😂

  • @kentallard8852
    @kentallard8852 Před 3 lety +7

    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
      @blastermaster2383 Před 3 lety

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

    • @nevilleabbott2330
      @nevilleabbott2330 Před 3 lety

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

  • @pauliejay4161
    @pauliejay4161 Před 5 lety +8

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

    • @krisdixon1192
      @krisdixon1192 Před 3 lety +1

      Quadrophonic or stereo.
      It can't be both.

  • @65cj55
    @65cj55 Před 3 lety +3

    The best decade.

  • @MarkRaker
    @MarkRaker Před 3 lety +2

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

  • @totalrecall8385
    @totalrecall8385 Před 5 lety +30

    Back in the day when Aussie cars rulled the road .

  • @garymarquett7989
    @garymarquett7989 Před 3 lety +1

    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

  • @biggin9077
    @biggin9077 Před 5 lety +8

    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
      @HorseShit35 Před 5 lety +2

      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.

  • @dawso2o2
    @dawso2o2 Před 5 lety +5

    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

  • @Nell3810
    @Nell3810 Před 5 lety +12

    They were also called sin bins.....

  • @Hitman-ds1ei
    @Hitman-ds1ei Před 3 lety +6

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

  • @drumstick74
    @drumstick74 Před 5 lety +10

    🚙 *1970s **_Pimp My Ride_* 🚙 😎

  • @KingOath
    @KingOath Před 5 lety +4

    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
    @LurkMoar101 Před 3 lety +1

    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
    @MrWackozacko Před 4 lety +6

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

  • @50NewEyes
    @50NewEyes Před 3 lety +1

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

  • @MafiaboysWorld
    @MafiaboysWorld Před 5 lety +55

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

    • @archygrey9093
      @archygrey9093 Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @Mick_4591
      @Mick_4591 Před 3 lety

      Side pipes and sometimes pipes that ended just before rear tyres

    • @janeblogs324
      @janeblogs324 Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @MafiaboysWorld
      @MafiaboysWorld Před 3 lety +1

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

  • @saxongreen78
    @saxongreen78 Před 5 lety +6

    $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
      @HorseShit35 Před 5 lety +3

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

    • @saxongreen78
      @saxongreen78 Před 5 lety +1

      @@HorseShit35 :-) Depends on _which_ drugs!

  • @philipmann9548
    @philipmann9548 Před 2 lety +1

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

  • @chisel83
    @chisel83 Před 5 lety +6

    The innovations 😂

  • @PluckYeah
    @PluckYeah Před 3 lety

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

  • @porthos6118
    @porthos6118 Před 3 lety +1

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

  • @mickmorrissey16
    @mickmorrissey16 Před 3 lety

    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 😂

  • @Thespiansewist
    @Thespiansewist Před 5 lety +2

    Wife got baptised in Sandman.
    True Sheila!

  • @Ben.jack.in.off.to.you1
    @Ben.jack.in.off.to.you1 Před 2 lety +1

    best intro

  • @desiolle2874
    @desiolle2874 Před 3 lety +1

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

  • @sebbrazier5678
    @sebbrazier5678 Před 2 lety +1

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

  • @sutherlandA1
    @sutherlandA1 Před 5 lety +1

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

  • @michaelg8465
    @michaelg8465 Před 3 lety +1

    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.

  • @mattmcfarland9154
    @mattmcfarland9154 Před 3 lety +1

    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.

  • @elysian95
    @elysian95 Před rokem +1

    Replaced by duel cabs and rooftop tents.

  • @saltydog888
    @saltydog888 Před 3 lety

    ‘What’s wrong with a car?’ 😂😂🤣

  • @billmago7991
    @billmago7991 Před 3 lety +7

    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

  • @denisemoloney1751
    @denisemoloney1751 Před 3 lety

    Oh , my god .. The memories ..

  • @michaeledwards8058
    @michaeledwards8058 Před 3 lety +2

    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
      @Mick_4591 Před 3 lety

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

  • @TweedSuit
    @TweedSuit Před rokem +1

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

  • @Nell3810
    @Nell3810 Před 5 lety +1

    Ah, I remember this!!

  • @MacHaggiss
    @MacHaggiss Před 5 lety +1

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

  • @gregraymond428
    @gregraymond428 Před 3 lety

    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)👍🇦🇺🤪

  • @sanning5729
    @sanning5729 Před 3 lety

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

  • @TheFunkhouser
    @TheFunkhouser Před 5 lety +3

    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

  • @CHAPELQEYStv
    @CHAPELQEYStv Před 3 lety +2

    The early SUV, in Australia.

  • @rjl110919581
    @rjl110919581 Před 5 lety +3

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

  • @brianrourke3633
    @brianrourke3633 Před 5 lety +3

    Back before fun was illegal ...

  • @geoffgeoff143
    @geoffgeoff143 Před 3 lety

    Vantastic

  • @soundknight
    @soundknight Před 5 lety +1

    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'.

  • @RemusKingOfRome
    @RemusKingOfRome Před 5 lety

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

  • @kentallard8852
    @kentallard8852 Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @BatMan-xr8gg
      @BatMan-xr8gg Před 3 lety

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

  • @adamhobbs7672
    @adamhobbs7672 Před 3 lety +1

    Those where the days

  • @flyingdutch9818
    @flyingdutch9818 Před 3 lety +7

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

    • @TET2005
      @TET2005 Před 3 lety

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

    • @margareth1504
      @margareth1504 Před rokem +1

      Noticed that too, very quiet for a Karen

  • @joffa397
    @joffa397 Před 3 lety

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

  • @markgritt4876
    @markgritt4876 Před 2 lety +2

    I got van aerial disease in 1 of those

  • @stevenzeinert5664
    @stevenzeinert5664 Před 3 lety

    Where have they all gone ????

  • @rodwilliams4170
    @rodwilliams4170 Před 3 lety

    Where are they now???

  • @snekjuce
    @snekjuce Před 3 lety +1

    man im in the wrong era

  • @barrymcdonald9868
    @barrymcdonald9868 Před 3 lety +5

    and many a spilt bong eww

    • @BatMan-xr8gg
      @BatMan-xr8gg Před 3 lety +1

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

  • @shanetheodore1056
    @shanetheodore1056 Před 3 lety

    Beutifull cars

  • @Williamwerenberg
    @Williamwerenberg Před 2 lety

    What song is in the intro?

  • @stereomaster666
    @stereomaster666 Před 5 lety

    Whats the song in the background?

  • @brentonvelasquez4875
    @brentonvelasquez4875 Před 2 lety

    Redline era brother.

  • @Alexander_Timonin
    @Alexander_Timonin Před 5 lety +2

    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

  • @КГБКолДжорджКостанца

    The 70s, our soviet country was big

  • @monkeyintensity1
    @monkeyintensity1 Před 3 lety

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

  • @TweedSuit
    @TweedSuit Před rokem

    Van Life. Pre-Internet.

  • @LordmonkeyTRM
    @LordmonkeyTRM Před 3 lety +1

    Hoping for some true blue Aussie blokes...

  • @sharongoodsell9341
    @sharongoodsell9341 Před 11 měsíci

    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 🤑

  • @jackstorm9080
    @jackstorm9080 Před 3 lety

    The Virgin conversion

  • @samshepherd26
    @samshepherd26 Před 3 lety

    It'd cost a lot to recreate this footage

  • @duncanyourmate2433
    @duncanyourmate2433 Před 3 lety

    didn't see a drifter ,

  • @briancastro313
    @briancastro313 Před 5 lety +3

    australia is just upside down USA lmao

  • @stanmoon8806
    @stanmoon8806 Před 4 lety +1

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

  • @chriswaldron2617
    @chriswaldron2617 Před 3 lety

    Some money those vans if they’re around today

    • @liamgross7217
      @liamgross7217 Před 3 lety

      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.

  • @Spudmurphy1970
    @Spudmurphy1970 Před 3 lety

    Mobile virgin conversion units 😎

  • @faizanjoyia
    @faizanjoyia Před 3 lety

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

  • @bigvee401
    @bigvee401 Před 3 lety +1

    Why is everyone so slim?

    • @BatMan-xr8gg
      @BatMan-xr8gg Před 3 lety +1

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

    • @adamhobbs7672
      @adamhobbs7672 Před 3 lety +2

      Fast food wasn't so much available

    • @JessicaRivers-wc8jt
      @JessicaRivers-wc8jt Před 6 měsíci

      All the weed

  • @sherm0666
    @sherm0666 Před 3 lety

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

  • @Tomek1985
    @Tomek1985 Před 2 lety +2

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

  • @jamiehope4580
    @jamiehope4580 Před 3 lety +1

    Before today's pathetic car scene which consists of lowered and Simmons wheels idiots who fit massive reverse cowls that serve no purpose

  • @КГБКолДжорджКостанца

    The 70s are better

  • @r1r1or2updownx3
    @r1r1or2updownx3 Před 2 lety

    We call them hearsts in America

  • @robertfoster7807
    @robertfoster7807 Před rokem

    that was before they realy stuffed up australia with uncontrolled immigration

  • @rickt1866
    @rickt1866 Před 3 lety

    that's not a van

  • @thomasschumacher5362
    @thomasschumacher5362 Před 3 lety +2

    Could of got 40 if they had less hair

  • @BeckVMH
    @BeckVMH Před 4 lety +1

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