Holden Sandman

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This article currently deals with an Australian panelvan from a cultural point-of-view. Contributions on technical details of the van would be very welcome.

Holden Sandman
Manufacturer	Holden
Production	1971–1980
Class	Full-size
Body style	3-door Panel Van 2-door Utility
Engine	Holden 253 (4.2 Litre) or Holden 308 (5.0 Litre) V8
Transmission	4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic

Holden Sandman is a panel van and ute that was produced by Holden in Australia between 1971 and 1979. Many people think all panelvans are Sandmans, but the Sandman was a specific run of panel van with certain options on it. Designed with all the features of the Premier and Monaro vehicles, such as guard flutes, five-dial dashboards and higher quality materials, the first model of the Sandman, the HQ was sold for around $4000 with a 253 cubic-inch (4.2 Litre) Holden built V8 motor. For around $200 extra you could purchase a Holden 308 cubic-inch (5.0 Litre) V8 version. Options included things such as fully-trimmed interior, air conditioning, different wheel and engine packages, and (on the HX model of 1976) very gregarious vinyl decals on the exterior, with "Sandman" emblazoned on the tailgate and various wacky and very 70's designs on the side of the body.

Although manufactured in conjunction with the utility models, the panel van is externally similar to a station wagon, save the lack of side windows, rear seats, and a noticeably extended rear roofline, it gained notoriety during the latter half of the 1970s as a mobile venue for sexual intercourse. It earned such nicknames as shaggin' wagons and sinbins, dreaded by the mothers of teenage girls (fearing their daughters would be seduced by the young male Sandman drivers) and by the teenage girls themselves (fearing they would be raped). To the young men who drove the vans, however, the Sandman represented a lifestyle of freedom, sun, sand and surfing. The Ford Sundowner and Surferoo and the Chrysler Drifter also competed with Holden's Sandman in the panelvan arena. The Drifter was axed in 1978, and while still popular, Ford dropped Sundowner from its title for its panelvans and Surferoo had only a brief period of existence. While Ford continued successfully manufacturing and marketing panelvans for another 14 years after Holden's last model, they never quite achieved the cultural icon status the Sandman seemed to evoke.

By the early 1980s however, the Sandman had largely lost its place in the contemporary Australian culture, and became merely a trade vehicle and an icon of a bygone era; Holden's last commercially released panelvan was their WB panelvan (off the defunct Kingswood model) in 1983. Holden has more recently made a concept Sandman, based on the VU ute, in conjunction with the surfwear company Mambo, seen on display in Melbourne's 2000 Automobile Show. It was criticised for retaining the internal firewall and rear window of the ute it was based on between the cargo bay and passenger cab however, and sadly never gained enough popularity to be put back into production.

http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_info_holden_hq_sandman.htm