7 iconic vans: there were more than just the Volkswagen T1

Citroen HY

As the uncrowned king of front-wheel drive, it was logically also Citroën that brought the advantages of that construction to the small entrepreneur. With its flat floor, the corrugated iron bus could lose a lot of volume. The HY came in 1947, when there was a great demand for simple, cheap transport so soon after the war. The HY – and variants such as the HP (pick-up), HW and HX – was therefore an important street determinant of the middle of the last century in France. No boulanger, boucher or carreleur without HY. Even the gendarmerie drove in it, although the HY as a police car was nicknamed panier à salad, or salad bowl. The HY had a long life, because the last one rolled off the line in 1981.

Renault Relay

Also French nostalgia, the Renault Relay. It came twelve years after the HY, so in 1959, and therefore looks a lot more modern with its round, sweet shapes. The Estafette had a three-part door construction at the back and – even more special and, above all, more fun – a sliding door for the driver, so that on hot days you could chug along the Route Nationale with the door open. You did that with your load of baguettes in the back, a bunch of sheep or your mobile chip shop. Just like the HY, you often saw the Estafette in dark blue with flashing lights and a couple of stern looking Louis de Funèsjes on board. At the end of the 1970s it was fini and in 1980 the Traffic took over from the Estafette.

UAZ-452

If only to prevent Putin from targeting us, we don’t want to forget Russia. The UAZ-452 was and still is an indispensable part of the street scene in Russia and in many former Eastern Bloc countries. Because of his appearance, he is nicknamed Bukhanka in Russia. If you ask for it in a Russian shop, you walk out with a loaf of bread under your arm. Do not underestimate the Russian humor: the ambulance version is called Tabletka, or pill. Despite the icy climate over there, the 452 is a hot sandwich. It came out of the kiln in 1965 and is still baked today.

Toyota Hiace

In the 1960s, Japanese car manufacturers still did many things according to Western models and the Toyota Hiace, which saw the light of day in 1967, was one of the results. The Hiace was initially intended as a passenger van and later mainly as a company car. In particular, the second generation (from 1977) came to our part of the world in large numbers. You hardly see them here anymore, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there anymore. Our Hiaces departed en masse by boat to Africa, where they started a second life and probably still happily chug on when our civilization is long gone.

Ford Transit

The Transit name was originally just a complement to the Taunus name for a compact van based on the… yes. Only twelve years after the arrival of the Taunus Transit, Transit became a proper name. The first-generation Transit saw the light of day in 1965 and was very distinctive, even elegantly designed with the headlights extending like tunnels all the way to the back of the body. The first Transit was not only built in England, Turkey and Belgium, but also in the Amsterdam Ford factory, until it closed at the end of 1981. Because of its performance and payload, the Transit was the car for bank robbers in the early 1970s, earning it the designation ‘Britain’s most wanted van’. With the facelift of 1977, the elegant headlights disappeared.

Bedford CF

‘Britain’s most wanted van’ for children was the Bedford CF, because that van was often used as an ice cream truck or to carry other tasty things with many calories. Bedford was part of General Motors at the time and the CF was therefore an English interpretation of the Chevrolet Van and was sold in Germany as Opel Bedford Blitz. Since the electric ID Buzz was the reason for these 7, it is worth noting that Bedford already introduced an electric CF in 1982, which is said to be the first series-produced electric car based on an ICE. Just so you know.

Chevy Van

Anyone who consciously experienced the 80s will remember The A-Team, a playful action series in which brutal violence and underwear fun went hand in hand. The set of outlaws went from job to job in a black GMC Vandura, aka Chevy Van. Built from the early 1970s to 1996, the model was made famous not only by The A-Team, but also by numerous Hollywood productions in which it appeared. Whether it was the homicidal plumber or the FBI spies, they came in a Chevy Van to strike.