Photo: MaxMotive
One of the great things about America is that you can hop inside a vehicle and head out for the open road for days on end. You could drive for hundreds of miles without seeing a soul, and for some that is godsent, especially these fine days we’re living through.
The only thing one needs to have for such an adventure is the proper ride. There are tons of valid options out there, but why go for a production vehicle when you can choose to ride in style in a custom-built, proven machine?
For $67,000, this is exactly what you could get: a van like no other, built by a former Top Gear host, and driven by him around the country during 2014’s Hot Rod Power Tour.
The vehicle started life as a 1949 Chevrolet Step Van, one of those multi-stop trucks Chevy started making decades ago, variations of which you still see today in the neighborhood wearing the logos of FedEx or UPS.
Rutledge Wood, the Top Gear (the American version, of course) host we mentioned earlier, is credited with having built it, and you can see no corners were cut to make it the ideal adventure van.
Wrapped in bare metal and sporting chrome grille bars, LED lights, and red on the wheels, the van is animated by a Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine gifted with Summit headers and Magnaflow exhaust. Linked to a 4L80E automatic transmission, it delivers 525 hp, a hell of a lot more than you would ever need for cross-country trips.
Inside, there’s the one Recaro seat at the front, sitting before a billet steering wheel on an Ididit tilt column. For the road trip to be a success – that means having some company around – some modifications would have to be made though, like the addition of another seat and some accommodations at the rear – as it is, the van comes equipped with metal shelves, exactly what you would expect from a delivery van.
For $67,000, this is exactly what you could get: a van like no other, built by a former Top Gear host, and driven by him around the country during 2014’s Hot Rod Power Tour.
The vehicle started life as a 1949 Chevrolet Step Van, one of those multi-stop trucks Chevy started making decades ago, variations of which you still see today in the neighborhood wearing the logos of FedEx or UPS.
Rutledge Wood, the Top Gear (the American version, of course) host we mentioned earlier, is credited with having built it, and you can see no corners were cut to make it the ideal adventure van.
Wrapped in bare metal and sporting chrome grille bars, LED lights, and red on the wheels, the van is animated by a Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine gifted with Summit headers and Magnaflow exhaust. Linked to a 4L80E automatic transmission, it delivers 525 hp, a hell of a lot more than you would ever need for cross-country trips.
Inside, there’s the one Recaro seat at the front, sitting before a billet steering wheel on an Ididit tilt column. For the road trip to be a success – that means having some company around – some modifications would have to be made though, like the addition of another seat and some accommodations at the rear – as it is, the van comes equipped with metal shelves, exactly what you would expect from a delivery van.
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