VAN LIFE!

IN THE SEVENTIES THE HUMBLE PANEL-VAN WORKHORSE BECAME A LIFESTYLE CHOICE FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION

- DAVE MORLEY

It's tempting to have a giggle at some of the marketing moves we've seen carmakers use over the years. I mean, if we tried to convince you that a set of stripes, alloy wheels and a full-length headliner would turn a tradie's van into one of the most collectible Aussie cars a few decades later, you'd probably think we were taking the mickey.

But take a look at the cars here. Not only does this pair represent a couple of the most sought after (and rarest) Aussie-made Fords ever built, they're also part of a much larger cultural movement that saw Ford's main rivals tap into the same rich vein of marketing brilliance. 'Cos that's what it was ... brilliance.

The Sundowner dream Ford was selling in the '70s was matched by Holden's Sandman and Chrysler's Drifter franchises. And the fact that they came along at the same time as the panel van was king, only makes the argument more compelling. And, like any older Aussie classic, you just know these ones have a story to tell.

1978 FORD ESCORT MK 2 SUNDOWNER

THE OWNER of this Mark 2 Escort Sundowner, David Vervaat, bought the car in 2012 as a crumpled heap, and immediately started rebuilding it into the vision you see before you. The car had been driven by its talented previous owner, at high speed, into the back of a hapless Holden one-tonner some years earlier. To be honest, there were probably better cars to start with. But a few things saved this one.

That started with David's obsession with these little vans with their loud stripes and bright colours. He clearly truly digs the whole Sundowner thing (he also owns a Transit Sundowner) but he also readily admits that the whole small-Ford thing runs very deep in his veins. As in, an Esky Sundowner was a huge part of his earliest petrol-head development.