Yosemite Sam Radoff Paint Job: 1976 Dodge B200

The vanning world is one of the most diverse hobbyist circles there is, especially in terms of what sort of vehicles van enthusiasts will show up to the next meet in. These vehicles literally became murals on wheels, allowing the creator to showcase their artistic instincts on a fairly large scale – not worldwide, necessarily, but you could get pretty close if the van was driven far enough. This 1976 Dodge B200 has an extra trick up its sleeve in that the seller claims the elaborate paint job was penned by none other than Yosemite Sam Radoff, one of the more prolific pinstripe artists and custom vehicle builders the world has known. Find the Dodge here on eBay where bidding has reached $1,025 with the reserve unmet.

Yosemite Sam Raddof is the kind of guy you’d want to meet in Detroit in the 1970s. He was plugged in and had the kind of sixth sense for what car, truck, and motorcycle owners wanted their custom ride to look like without having to do much digging. He just knew how the brushstrokes should hit in order to create a vehicle that was a showstopper. Supposedly, Radoff even had a hand in building bikes for the likes of Evel Knievel, so it’s safe to say he became a household name once word got around that if you wanted a mural on your van, Sam Radoff was the guy to call.

This particular van may indeed be his handiwork, but it seems the only clue is a faded signature that spells out the legendary customizer’s name. Now, it seems unlikely someone would go through the trouble of forging the identity of the creator of this van’s paint job, as most van enthusiasts likely wouldn’t even care that much. They would be all about that amazing paint job but in terms of knowing for sure who penned it? Far less important. And that’s the trouble the seller will likely encounter, as I doubt it will make much of a difference to the buyer who simply wants a perfect van with the kind of patina that’s impossible to fake.

Yosemite Sam Radoff is up there with the likes of George Barris in terms of the kingpins of custom car, truck, and motorcycle culture in the 1970s. Sam sadly passed in March of 2019 so we won’t have the chance to ask him if he remembers creating this incredible mural on the side of this Dodge one fine summer afternoon. The Radoff connection aside, the Dodge is said to run well with a functioning transmission. The seller notes it will need a rear main seal at some point, but aside from this, it looks like the single most important repair it needs is installing an epic interior befitting of the outside. Thanks to Barn Finds reader T.J. for the find.