When you want your Windstar to make a statement before a dead transmission finally sends it to the boneyard, what do you do? Easy: you decorate it with cars and in the process, turn your minivan into a metavan. While, for the moment, I’ve been having a bear of a time locating true, daily duty CCs in my neck of the woods, A. Bear was fortunate enough to find this California catastrophe and has thoughtfully shared it with us.
Here’s a nice close-up of the mosaic work. The while paint makes an excellent canvas for this artist’s imagination, and the Windstar’s soft suspension ensures that the decoration will fall off the abundant surface area slightly less often than it would on a lesser van. Seriously, does anyone know if littering or other public safety laws are ever leveled against owners of art cars? I suppose that, compared to all the stone chips inflicted by construction vehicles, a random Matchbox car causes relatively little damage.
There are some cute toys up on the roof, the dinosaur above the right front door being especially endearing. When it comes to art cars, I’m more of a fan of the classic doll’s head motif, but I can’t help but love this display just as much.
The biggest of the toys, a number of which appear to be remote control monster trucks, are perched precariously at the rear of the roof. I can only imagine having to file a report with the police if one were to fall onto your car on the freeway. “It was the van with all the toys on it!” If only Ford had fit a rear spoiler at the top of the tailgate, à la Previa-with-twin-sunroofs, there would be a more secure place for these accessories. See? This is why the Windstar didn’t turn the minivan market on its head.
I have to wonder if kids ever tried to chase it down and pry the toys off.
Some art cars are interesting but I’m not sure I can ever get behind the “glue a bunch of crap to it” school of art cars.
Well, as some snooty art critic might say, “it’s not for you.”
“Honey, I’m going out to wax the car(s). I’ll be back in time for dinner. On August 4th.”
Hahaha, poor man probably got a funny look when he tried the local auto detailing and automated car wash place.
Perhaps the owner of this Windstar loves it enough to keep repairing the ailments that send its brethren to junkyards.
This Windstar has a theme going on so it is more of an art car than other art cars I have seen. California does not have safety inspections by the way. Personally, I rather make an art car by using a variety of colors or metal fabrication like that Citation in Seattle than affix objects to the exterior.
Yeah, Calofornia has SMOG checks every two years I believe for post-1974 cars.
Not sure if they look at the exterior of the car but we do have checks.
I am sure the Smog testing stations look at your exhaust system to make sure it is all there as well as the actual exhaust, but that is it for visual inspections I bet. Probably up to the police to monitor for vehicles that are unsafe.
“Calofornia has SMOG checks every two years I believe for post-1974 cars…”
Not all of California. Outside the most-polluted areas defined by Air Pollution Control Districts (as were decided by politicians, which as we know, do not always get things right), smog inspections are required only at change of ownership.
Some of us Californians are lucky, escaping the “Gyp-’em, gouge-’em” Auto Inspection Racket.
Interesting.
Yeah, it’s all a racket.
I recently got the notice on the mail to smog my ’08 PT Cruiser.
Have had since ’10, so this would be the second smog check under my ownership.
I can’t imagine that many places in Southern California that would fall into the places that don’t need the constant smog checks.
On the no-fun safety issue, I also wonder what the ‘impact’ might be on a pedestrian who happens to get hit?
Anyone who rolls over and off that hood might be in for significant shredding & puncture wounds…ouch.
Yeah, you could have a “Fusilli Jerry” moment!
That falls into our dangerous ornaments and fittings rule.