The Australians called them "panel vans". Wagons they called "station wagons" despite Holden (the local GM operation) insisting for years they were "station sedans". By the 1970s, Holden gave up on that and station wagons they became. The Ford in the photo is an XB (1973-1976) Falcon which, if original, would be running a 302 Cleveland, a unique variation of the 385 engine series. The XA panel van (1972-1973) introduced what were known as "tradesman doors" which were hinged on the sides and chosen because market research had suggested van buyers would prefer them because it made loading easier. That was true but the XA-XB era coincided with a boom in panel van sales among surfers (and hankering for the "surfer" vibe) who much preferred the traditional arrangement with the two opening panels hinged top and bottom. When the XC (1976-1979) was released, both door types were offered but by then the surfer inspired craze for them was over, a particularly unfortunate demand-shift for Chrysler which had had added a panel van to its CL (1976-1978) Valiant range. Fortunately, based on the ute, development costs were low. The Falcon was the fastest of the Australian panel vans because it was available with the 351 whereas Holden never offered the 327 or 350 SBCs in the years they were used in other models and Chrysler installed neither their high performance “Hemi” sixes or a V8 more potent than the 2 barrel 318.
thank you! Did you know you typed it out on the wrong post? This is the Trans Am post. Panel certainly, van? Why? It's not even slightly like a van. But a lot of stuff doesn't make sense about the English language
Yes, sorry about that and the Cleveland is of course a 335. How different body styles gained different descriptions around the world is an interesting tale. As with many things in English, the approach taken by the Americans tended to make more sense and influenced use elsewhere which is why even Rolls-Royce gave up on drophead coupés and now sells convertibles. Ultimately, "van" dates back over 2000 years and is from Old Persian.
The Australians called them "panel vans". Wagons they called "station wagons" despite Holden (the local GM operation) insisting for years they were "station sedans". By the 1970s, Holden gave up on that and station wagons they became. The Ford in the photo is an XB (1973-1976) Falcon which, if original, would be running a 302 Cleveland, a unique variation of the 385 engine series. The XA panel van (1972-1973) introduced what were known as "tradesman doors" which were hinged on the sides and chosen because market research had suggested van buyers would prefer them because it made loading easier. That was true but the XA-XB era coincided with a boom in panel van sales among surfers (and hankering for the "surfer" vibe) who much preferred the traditional arrangement with the two opening panels hinged top and bottom. When the XC (1976-1979) was released, both door types were offered but by then the surfer inspired craze for them was over, a particularly unfortunate demand-shift for Chrysler which had had added a panel van to its CL (1976-1978) Valiant range. Fortunately, based on the ute, development costs were low. The Falcon was the fastest of the Australian panel vans because it was available with the 351 whereas Holden never offered the 327 or 350 SBCs in the years they were used in other models and Chrysler installed neither their high performance “Hemi” sixes or a V8 more potent than the 2 barrel 318.
ReplyDeletethank you! Did you know you typed it out on the wrong post? This is the Trans Am post.
DeletePanel certainly, van? Why? It's not even slightly like a van.
But a lot of stuff doesn't make sense about the English language
Yes, sorry about that and the Cleveland is of course a 335. How different body styles gained different descriptions around the world is an interesting tale. As with many things in English, the approach taken by the Americans tended to make more sense and influenced use elsewhere which is why even Rolls-Royce gave up on drophead coupés and now sells convertibles. Ultimately, "van" dates back over 2000 years and is from Old Persian.
ReplyDelete