This wicked 1969 GMC Sportvan is located in my neck of the woods, practically down the road in Wakefield, Rhode Island. Aside from the snow on the ground, I would have guessed this was hiding out in San Jose or some other West Coast surf town. The listing is light on the details, but the Sportvan is emitting all sorts of period coolness. Find it here on eBay with a $5K Buy-It-Now.
Is that old-school paint job original or a clever recreation? Whatever it is, it’s a great look for this Sportvan. The somewhat rough exterior and bent rear bumper would suggest that it has worn this finish for some time, although its offset by the newly redesigned Rhode Island vintage auto license plates. Lenses look good, as does the many panels of glass.
The interior shows even better, and reinforces the seller’s allusion to being “90% rebuilt.” I assume this isn’t limited to mechanicals, as the interior looks much too fresh to be original. The listing says that in addition to a new windshield, the Sportvan has also benefitted from a rebuilt motor and transmission. Receipts for work like this is a must, and I’m curious whether the seller did the work or a local vintage specialist.
If the current pricing for air-cooled VW Buses turns you off, the Sportvan may be worth a look. The GMC model seems to be far more rare than the Chevy version, of which there are always a few for sale. With limited information to go on from the listing and the web, I’d love to know what the production figures look like when comparing the Chevy Sportvan to the GMC version. Would you consider this Sportvan over a comparable VW Camper?
Just as cool as a VW bus, also just as unsafe, but much more able to climb hills without impeding traffic.
I like these, but i like them more when powered by a V8 , a 292 would work with some Clifford parts as well! Price seems fair.
had the same drive train’n yr; but no windows’n a che**y.
It was a sleeper (cept 4 the jollette windows’n roof vent I put in – bought it frm an oil co, wuz used as a service vehicle). Had it for work’n living in. Pull the bed out the back doors to load boxes or whatever. Krazy Kid, but, yes – they got it all over a Vee Dub (sz, strength).
Department of Corrections: San Jose is roughly a little too far from the coast to be a surf town. Here is a better choice: Half Moon Bay.
Santa Cruz is a bit more “surfy”.
maybe, but Mavericks is held at HMB.
It would be nice to see up close pictures of rust prone areas. The rust bubbles at the bottoms of the rear doors leads one to believe there is a whole lot of ugly under that blue paint.
Steve R
Not sure how I feel about that carpet. Is that a cat under there?
My ’70 Chevy was the same body, but with a 307 and more of the interior intact. Drove it up and down the west coast with two dirt bikes in the back and slept in it nearly every night for 4 months. Had a guy advance the timing enough to get 17 mpg on the highway – gas was 45 cents a gallon!
I kept for a while after my adventure and put some lettering on the side that said, “STAR TRUK” in the same graphics as the TV show. I know, somebody oughta be embarrassed…
Sold it to buy my first MGB, but that’s a whole other story.
This van is pretty much trashed by comparison, certainly not worth $5K imho.
Lovely looking Chevy Sportvan. I’ve always loved the 1967-70 Chevy Van.
Hello, Killer Designs here. We built the van about 5 years ago. My husband is the one who did all the freehand pinstriping on it as well as the build. The van has gone way down hill since we built the van and lots of parts have been robbed over the years. Its name is Bertha.
How does that radiator get any airflow to cool things down? I’ve always wondered that about all of the engine-between-the-seats rigs such as Ford/Chevy/ Dodge vans of same vintage and International Metros.
I built and sold this 1968 108 GMC handivan. When I sold it in 2013 it was in amazing shape. It has gone down hill terribly since I sold it. It was actually featured in goodguys magazine in 2013. The ultra rare astro custom wheels were like brand new. So sad to see it in this shape.
Lovely looking van. I love vans of this vintage.