CC Outtakes: Quick, Get Some Shots Before the Ice Cream Melts

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– Posted on December 12, 2019

I was heading home from the grocery store about a mile from my house, when I thought I might take a slightly longer route home, and check out the ocean. But I’d barely driven a block when I got distracted by this sight. Did I enter a time warp and get transported back to 1969?

No, it must have been the eighties, as the pickup in this pairing I spotted less than a block down the street, is of the generation from 1984 to 1988. The Fury, though is a ’67, I think.

A bit further down the road, it’s still the eighties. These Toyotas just don’t die.

A block from the coast, I have to pull over to snap this pairing. I saw at least five Eurovans on my short excursion. Could these belong to the same household, or were they having a #whitevanlife meetup?

The ocean was flat and gray, nothing special. So I turn back and lo-and-behold, it’s another white van meetup.

Actually, this time three vans … this Eurovan was around the corner from the Ram Sprinter and Ford E Series.

Not a van, or even much of a CC this time, but I couldn’t resist capturing this Porsche Cayman with bike rack. Who needs a van to haul your prized possession? There was only one bike tray on the roof.

I’m cheating a bit here, though I didn’t go out of my way to look for this VW Vanagon shop, as it’s on the same block as the Ram Sprinter/Ford /Eurovan triad pictured above, and only half a block from the market. I wonder if the Astro is going to get a pop top? Or converted to a pickup like the red Doka? Yes, that’s another white Vanagon Westy at the far right, but it was blocked by a Tacoma which I cropped out. Ok, time to head back and get my groceries in the fridge. But wait …

Not exactly a van, but an FMC motorhome. This one is actually a regular around town, though not usually parked here. Although the FMC Motorhome has never been allotted its own post, I mentioned this one in a comment to a post by Paul in early 2018, and Tim_Finn included a famous one in his tour of the Henry Ford Museum about two years ago. For those that aren’t familiar with it, FMC was Food Machinery Corporation, a company which started out manufacturing agricultural products in Mr Editor Paul’s former hometown of Los Gatos, California. In World War II, FMC transitioned to building military vehicles.

Perhaps to offset declining revenues after the end of the Vietnam War, FMC launched an RV division in the late seventies and built these rear-engined “pusher” coaches for several years. In fact, I briefly worked with an industrial designer who had worked on the exterior and interior styling, in my first job after college. I believe about 1000 were built, including some configured as transit buses. Working just a few miles from FMC’s headquarters and plant in San Jose, I think I saw more fighting vehicles on transporters than I’ve ever seen their motorhomes on the road.

I remember the ice cream I picked up at the store, so I really have to get home. But just a few blocks away, I spot this long wheelbase Chevy Sportvan 108 Custom van. The side marker light tells me that it’s at least ’68, but other than that I don’t know much about these. A friend had one in college and I remember removing the doghouse to do some work on the engine. Not fun.

Ok, now I’m just two blocks from home but vans keep distracting me. And this wasn’t the only Previa I saw on my shopping trip. The other one was in the grocery store parking lot and plastered with stickers. Interestingly, I had seen that one on the freeway outside town just last night.

One block to go, but I might as well get one more van. Another blue and white Chevy Van. Finally, I’m home, and the ice cream hasn’t even melted!

PS – not to flog a dead horse, but in this 3 or 4 mile excursion (with my oceanside detour and a few U turns when I spotted an interesting vehicle up a side street) I did see about 10-15 Teslas. But I know that’s not what you come to CC for. Enjoy! Now I’ll unpack the rest of the groceries and start cooking dinner.