Okay, I’ll admit it, as a kid I loved watching Scooby-Doo. The cartoon group of oddball friends was always getting into some crazy adventure trying to solve a mystery. My favorite character was the title cartoon Great Dane, of course, and I was glued to the TV for every episode. Seeing this 1963 Ford Econoline, done up as The Mystery Machine, the psychedelic van the Scooby-Doo gang rode around in, brought back pleasant childhood memories. While the cartoon’s Mystery Machine was never identified as a specific model, its general shape points to a 1960s-era panel van. The 1963 Ford Econoline the seller is offering certainly fits the bill for a good Mystery Machine replica. The van’s exterior closely matches the cartoon version, with green and light blue paint and orange lettering spelling out “The Mystery Machine” on the side panels. The seller rates the paint 7 out of 10, and it looks good in the photos. Located in Girard, Ohio, this cartoon-inspired van is available here on eBay for $29,500 or best offer. Special thanks to Roger for the tip.
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Inside the Ford Econoline shows further attention to detail from the original builder: the front seats are upholstered in green and orange vinyl, and an aftermarket floor shifter sits on the color-matched console and dashboard. Information and photos of the gauges would have been welcome to confirm whether they remained stock or are aftermarket and whether they are all in working order. While the van has air conditioning, the seller notes that the system needs new tubing to connect the vents.
This Ford Econoline is powered by a 3.4 cubic inch V6 with a 700R4 automatic transmission. This is an engine swap, as only a 144- or 170-cubic-inch straight-6 was available that year, and both came with a manual transmission. The ad says the van runs and drives, but it also notes it hasn’t been driven on the highway and is being sold as is. Here, the prospective buyer will need to do some sleuthing on their own to see how well the Ford drives.
The rear of the interior cabin is probably the most amazing part of the conversion. The panels are covered in various neon shades of shag carpeting, with mod wallpaper on the ceiling for a retro look and Scooby-Doo posters on display for good measure. The pièce de résistance, however, is a custom-made electronic control panel like the one in the cartoon, with plenty of gadgets, including surveillance televisions, a reel-to-reel tape recorder, an Elastomer processing system, and a PM3L color analyzer. The attention to detail here is amazing, and the seller states the rear panel lights up and works. Film and television replica vehicles have become popular, and the next owner of this Mystery Machine-inspired 1963 Ford Econoline will certainly draw attention if they display it at the local cruise night or car show. Would any of you readers out there be enticed to park this van in your garage?
I never watched that particular cartoon, seemed kind of lame, besides, Saturday morning, if we didn’t go to the cottage, was hallowed time that could be spent painting the Sting Ray bike or taking a lawn mower engine apart, not glued to the box watching silly cartoons about dogs riding around in a van solving mysteries. Besides, unless we were sick, my mom wouldn’t let us.
I won’t mention any DA sander remarks either, as I felt bad when a seller chimes in and I’m trashing their creation. While I think something like this has more interest than a fictitious Hudson race car, I have no right saying that. These people worked plenty hard creating these vehicles, whether there’s any interest, is not my call. For what it is, it’s pretty cool.
Ya… who would watch Scooby Do when you could be watching Jonny Quest… ;-)
My favorite all time cartoons were the “Loony Tunes”. It’s amazing we can even think after watching those.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends… Saturday morning cartoon written for adults… some of the best political satire of the day packaged in a cartoon… along with cold war parodies… I still laugh at them today and amazed they fed it to children… Never get away with it today.
What a great Halloween prop!! Though an expensive one, it might be a hit if the new Netflix Scooby Doo due out in 2027 references it! Too, a perfect time and place to show it (sell?) would be at the next Comic Com in San Diego, New York or Las Vegas.
Be interesting to see how the modified drivetrain conversion works out. A lot of work went in to this “tribute” though it’s currently a limited audience that would know its reference.
Rut Roh!
“This Ford Econoline is powered by a 3.4 cubic inch V6”
Wow, talk about downsizing!!! lol
Gingees !
wow, one of the best recrations ive seen EXCEPT
the ‘Mystery Machine’ was a ’65/6 GMC/Chevrolet not a Ford.
Like any re-creation(Delorean Time Machine, Batmobile, etc)the novelty wears off quick, unless you’re hitting a lot of different car shows and cruise ins. And enjoy entertaining the easily amused.
At 67 yrs old, i still love Ol Scoob. And the creator of the machine did a great job, and any Scooby fan should be happy to cruise around town in it!!! Can anyone say “Ramburgers….
So MANY of these Fords pretending.
It’s going to take a niche buyer that collects Scooby Doo memorabilia to buy this. And @ $29,500, I think it’s going to be much harder. I wouldn’t even want to guess what it would cost $$$$ to bring back to original. Nice recreation though.
A similar 1964 Ford Van was auction at the Mecum Monterey auction in August 2026 in Pacific Grove, California for $19,800. The featured Scooby-Doo themed vehicle was a 1964 Ford Econoline Van Custom “Mystery Machine” Replica.
Crossed the block on Thursday, August 13, 2026, as Lot T184, the vehicle drew significant attention and was highlighted by Hagerty as one of the “10 Oddball Cars at the 2026 Monterey Auctions.”
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1178149/1964-ford-econoline-custom-van/
• Engine: Built with its factory-base 2.4L (144 ci) inline-six engine.
• Transmission: Period-correct 3-speed column-shift manual transmission.
• Exterior: Finished in the signature psychedelic light blue and green livery with painted orange flowers and custom graphics.
• Interior: Outfitted with a custom, freshly completed green and orange shag carpet interior matching the retro cartoon aesthetic.
Personally this type of pop culture vehicle does nothing for me. Nevertheless what many people don’t realize is that TV shows and movies generally own the copyrights to everything involved with them – especially iconic designs. Many people with 1960’s style reproduction Batmobiles and KITT cars have found this out the hard way when trying to display their vehicle somewhere publicly.
I don’t know that the company that owns the Scooby Doo films and shows would actually bring legal action against the owner of a van like this – but they certainly could. Getting a cease and desist letter from a big law firm after buying something like this would be a real downer, because there would be nothing you could do about it.
That is something I had not even considered to be an actual thing what with all the movie themed machines people have bought and or built. Would that include custom builds that were in movies such as any Barris built vehicle?