No one can say exactly when the ‘boogie van’ was born. It was some time after the Big Three introduced their range of small business vans in the Sixties. SoCal surfers started to upgrade their old station wagons and jalopies. The vans met their needs, providing transport, a place to store their boards, and a den to sleep in before the next set of waves. As young men came home from Vietnam, many found returning to society difficult. A van and the open road gave them the space they needed.
The first van club, Associated Vans, was formed in Southern California in 1966 and hundreds would follow. As the culture developed, it spread to towns and cities across North America. The teen generation who loved hot rods and muscle cars, but couldn’t afford to play, found their four-wheeled kicks in vans. It offered transport with benefits. The van could be a lair, a boudoir, a wet bar, and a hot rod: 1973 was a pivotal year, with the oil crisis effectively ending the muscle car era. The van was poised to step into the vacuum created by recession, a double nickel speed limit, and a societal shift in free living, free loving and good times. The motoring press caught the vibe. Hot Rod magazine editor Terry Cook joined forces with a Colorado van club and created the first National Van event at Tiger Run, Colorado. CB radio added
