MET A GOOD GUY AT GOOD GUYS

As Debbie and I ventured to the Good Guys Car Show in Loveland, Colorado yesterday, we couldn't help but wonder if we would see any early vans at the show. There weren't many. Only a couple, in fact. But what we did stumble upon was nothing short of remarkable.


Mark Patterson was seated among the throng of hot rods with the most original example of a second-generation Chevrolet van that I've seen in ages.

The story behind the van was just as remarkable. Mark's father drove this van on the job, back in the day. And with the blessing of his employer, he would borrow it to take his family on outings. Mark had many memories of tooling around in the van as a kid and it held a special place in his memories.

Factory equipped 283 ci.

Mark has quite a collection of original materials.

Mark never forgot all the great times he and his family had in the Chevy. Years passed, and Mark found himself working for the same company that his father had, and one day he innocently inquired about the whereabouts of the van. Turns out, the company still had it and Mark told them that if they would ever consider selling it, he'd be very interested. His employer must have realized that the van couldn't have had a better second owner, so they made him a gracious offer. If Mark was willing to make the van mechanically sound, they would give it to him. The rest is history. As Mark entered the gates of the Good Guys show, he watched the odometer turn 58,000 miles.

That's 58K original miles, folks.

As the crowd milled about the fairgrounds, little did most of them know that one very appreciative grown man was recounting his youth. As the proud caretaker of this gorgeous low-mileage Chevy, Mark intent on keeping it as original as it was back when he rode around in it as a young whipper-snapper. You've got to love the fact that Mark's employer saw fit to honor the many great memories that Mark had with this van, and allowed him to continue to create great memories with his family in it.

Meeting Mark made our day, and his story reminds us that there are still some fantastic employers left on this planet.

Two old friends, reunited.

Thanks for sharing your story, and your van with us, Mark.

GER PETERS TEES

We're excited to have out new HouseoSpeed/Vinvanco shirts coming. The artwork features a first generation van peeling out as the female passengers screams.

Any resemblance to my lovely bride and the day-to-day contact at HouseoSpeed, is as they say, purely intentional.

JOHNNY JALOPY LENDS HIS TALENT

We had Johnny Jalopy add the Vinvanco name to one of his killer illustrations. We're hoping to negotiate to use this sweet-ass artwork for t-shirts, patchs and maybe even prints. We'll keep you posted.

WE'RE POSTING REGULARLY ON FB

In case you were wondering WTF happened to this blog, we're pretty much doing all out communicating on Facebook these days.
Feel free to join us:

A KILLER ECO PU

Saw this beautiful Econoline @ the Rocky Mountain Auto Show, which opened today and goes through Sunday. This was a full-custom build, was equipped with a mid-engine, a custom frame and a high level of workmanship. It's even nicer than my crappy cell phone photos indicate.
Enjoy!

THE DAY HAS ARRIVED

After much planning, hand-ringing, back and forth with artists and estimates from printers, we have finally officially launched VINVANCO.com, a.k.a. Vintage Van Company (HERE'S A LINK TO OUR PRODUCT PAGE: http://www.houseospeed.com/servlet/Categories) The beginnings may seem humble: a few bumper stickers, here, a couple of t-shirts there, but the hard part is done. We have original artwork from the amazing Tuck (http://www.houseospeed.com/servlet/Detail?no=303), and other artists are officially engaged in adding to the mix. New items will begin dropping with regularity
and you'll be seeing a lot of love for the first-gens. Our first exclusive bumper stickers are here and right in back of them will be a series of bumper stickers patterned after our original HOUSEOSPEED.com stickers (http://www.houseospeed.com/servlet/Categories). We'll have a first-gen DODGE sticker, a first-gen CHEVY sticker, a first-gen FORD Econoline sticker, and a multi-make sticker. I've written some fresh lines, borrowed some existing chestnuts and put a lil' spin on a few of the well-worn cliches. Each one of the vans in our series will be customized, using 70's period wheels and parts. NO BILLET here, folks. If you go to our VINVANCO Facebook page and like us, you'll see the new products before the rest of the world does, which is probably a good thing, given the fact that supplies will be limited. So thanks everyone for your considerable patience and fasten your seat belts for a run of fun first stickers, koozies, tees and whatever else we figure out along the way.

A portion of the proceeds generated by VinVanco will go to the mechanical restoration of "Poochie". Its orginal paint will remain intact, while its ride height and interior will receive thorough "VINVANCO-ization". 

Our first Merch is at the printers...

http://www.houseospeed.com/servlet/Detail?no=545