Dear reader, meet Orange. This is the name of a beat-up Volkswagen T2 panel van that’s being converted into a four-wheeled radio. It may sound like a far-fetched idea, but little Orange here is a rusto-VeeDub workhorse with plenty of stars in its big, round eyes.
Romania-based online radio station Autobaza Radio bought Orange in January. As it happens, this old bucket of bolts was made in 1978, found its way in Romania in 1996 and it was left to rot since 1998. However, when the retailer acquired the T2, it started on the first turn without any smoky drama.
While the interior doesn’t seem to be in a bad shape, the bodywork seems more at home in the scrapyard. Nevertheless, Autobaza Radio with the support and know-how of Volkswagen and Audi retailer MidocarVitan are working long hours in order to bring the VW T2 B van to its former visual glory.
The 37-year-old machine won’t receive only a mere resto-mod, but also all the equipment to make it a mobile online radio station. If everything goes according to plan, Orange will be in tip-top condition as soon as June. After it will get the go-ahead, Orange promises to air everything from eclectic playlists to full-on live performances. Sounds rather neat, doesn’t it?
As a part-time audiophile, Autobaza Radio & Midocar’s Orange remind me of a time when Radio Caroline was the bomb among young British music enthusiasts. Founded in 1964, Caroline broadcasted anything from the Stones to Hendrix LP records from international waters, using five different ships to do so.
The reason behind Radio Caroline’s way of pirate radio broadcasting is that the BBC didn’t do Afro-American R&B or psychedelic rock in the ‘60s. Looking at the state of FM today, a modern-day Radio Caroline isn't that bad of an idea for those that don't do Rihanna and Taylor Swift.
On an ending note, who can forget Super Soul’s most iconic line from the 1971 action road flick Vanishing Point? “This radio station was named Kowalski, in honor of the last American hero to whom speed means freedom of the soul. The question is not when's he gonna stop, but who is gonna stop him.”
Truth be told, it’s necessary to swap “speed” with “music” in Orange’s case.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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