By Ewan Kennedy
A blast from the past is returning to Australian roads and beaches. The Holden Sandman is back – well, sort of.
The Holden Sandman was a panel van that became a legend in its own lifetime. Panel vans were all the rage in the 1960s and ’70s. Like today’s dual-cab sports utes, panel vans began life as mundane working vehicles, then became ever more dressed up until they became lifestyle machines – with plenty of room in the back.
Initially, the dressing up was done by the after-market guys and gals, but soon the manufactures cottoned on to the idea and came up with factory produced vehicles.
When launched in HQ format in 1974, the Holden Sandman immediately became king of the van hill.
Ford and Chrysler came up with their own vans, but none reached the status of the Holden. Sandman was also sold as a utility, but the van was the big winner.
The Sandman continued through the facelifted versions of the HQ into the HJ, HX and HZ Holden ranges until 1977.
In its dying years as an Australian manufacturer, Holden has revived the Sandman name for special editions of standard Commodores.
Sadly, the 2015 Holden Sandman is offered only as a dressed-up Commodore ute or station wagon. The company would have dearly loved to build a Sandman panel van but sedan-based vans have gone the way of crank handles, carburettors and cross-ply tyres.
The 2015 Sandman Special Edition Holden Sandman was launched in an appropriate place and time – at the Bells Beach Ripcurl Pro surf competition.
It comes in VF Commodore SV6 and the SS-V format and revives the instantly recognisable surf livery. Orange shag-pile floor rug is an accessory – love it.
Holden sales executive director Peter Keley said: “The Holden Sandman has been synonymous with the great Australian surf safari for decades and perfectly reflects our country’s laid-back yet adventurous attitude to life … most importantly, it’s about having fun.”
The 2015 Holden Sandman Special Edition costs a $2950 premium on SSV and SV6 models and has 20-inch gloss black wheels; also in trendy black are the fender vents, grille and roof racks.
Holden Sandman Special Edition will be offered in heron white, nitrate silver and phantom black.
Options are the aforementioned orange rear shag pile and cargo rug (in the sportwagon) and orange sheep-skin seat inserts.
The Sandman doesn’t go on sale until June this year.
But it might be smart to get on to your local dealer as soon as possible because there may well be a long waiting list.
