(first posted April 1, 2011) GM’s infamous “Dustbuster” minivans were a notorious flop. In GM’s desperation to salvage the first generation Trans Sport, radical ideas were solicited from the marketing mavens and development experts. A few niches were discovered and described, and the result was several prototypes were commissioned, including this “Transvertible”. Why not an open-air mini-van? And not really a convertible either, as a folding top for a van was way beyond the technical expertise of the vaunted GM “skunk works.”
To be sold only in the Sun Belt, the Transvertible had a completely water-proof interior, borrowed from the boating industry. In fact, an advanced amphibious version was underway when the metaphorical plug was pulled on that overly-ambitious project. The prototype was last seen being towed out on a lake near the GM proving grounds, due to the difficulty in engineering a driveshaft for the proposed propeller.
But the “conventional” Transvertible prototype has survived, and miraculously ended up just blocks from my house. I’ve always hoped to run across a vaunted GM Motorama concept, like a Futureliner, but living in Eugene, I feel mighty privileged to be able walk past the Transvertible anytime I feel the need to steep myself in GM’s creative genius.
Speaking of steeping, Eugene’s rainy winters have not been overly kind to the interior components of the open-air concept. Perhaps that’s why it’s here, as part of a long-term weathering test. Although, according to a neighbor, it’s there because of “something to do with a divorce.”
Now that’s hard to figure. How could anyone’s wife not want to make sure she ended up with the ’vertible as part of a divorce settlement? Oh well; her loss is my serendipitous gain.
I’m smitten. Now that the sun’s out, and intimations of summer are in the air, I’m considering giving Dahlcraft Customs a call about having a similar conversion done on my car : the Xvertible.
Yeesh, now I know where Nissan got the inspiration for the new Murano convertible.
LOL! My thought EXACTLY!!
Is this a hot-tub on wheels??? Must be a real hit tailgating down at Outzen Stadium.
“Hack job” is what comes to mind…
Heh, the old GM sure didn’t know what they were doing, did they? I drove a rented Pontiac dustbuster van from Minnesota to Florida and back for a vacation, and the shortcomings of that van were many, none of which is the roof over our heads. Rather than commisioning this type of complete waste of money, they’d much better spent that money fixing what’s lacking in their minivan. Hopefully they know better now.
What? I’m still laughin at your dustbuster remark 🙂
You are really on a roll with the April 1 articles. Cheers!
Any one contacted Jeremy Clarkson to replace his Espace ?.
I like the rubber-grommet trailer lights bored into the tailgate, since the factory tail lights were originally on the rear pillar.
good april fools joke
Didn’t I see this on Top Gear UK?
They did it to a Renault Espace.
I wonder who had the idea first…
CC effect. Watched that episode last night. Paul finally found the Jolly Green Giants missing roller skate.
Looks as if the saw used to remove the roof caused a few sparks to melt the top side of the visors. The whole thing resembles the “tub” of the old 20’s touring cars. Not sure how many “Naugies” had to give their lives to provide the padded “Naugahyde” trim? Is there a connection between Naugahyde and formaldehyde ? Is that’s what’s used in the “tanning” process to make this leather looking product from all those naugie critters?
If the owner ever wants to sell this baby, my advice is to place an ad in the New Orleans media shortly before Mardi Gras. Mod jobs like this are handy rides in the low-buck parades. Veteran carnival-car builders know it’s better to Sawzall the roof off of a BOF rather than a unitized vehicle–you get more parades in before the underbody collapses onto the street.
First the Dust Busters, then the 1997 narrow bodied vans, and then grafted the ‘SUV nose’ in 2005. Finally, GM gives up saying ‘minivans are out of style’. Tell that to Toyota, Honda and Mopar.
I like this van. The Pontiac Montana handle just like a car.
Bulge in cheek either due to tongue, or lunch returning to point of entry. GAWD!, like the brass star-trekky nameplate though, classy, yeah………..
It looks like it should have an Evinrude on the back of it. This is why you shouldn’t do drugs.
Well, they took the pains to install taillights on the back panel. How can this be bad?
In regards to Paul’s humorous satire as being a corporate prodject there is some truth to it. In the early 90’s as a Chrysler (CPD) service tech. I attended convertible top adjustment and replacement training for the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance verts. Those were hack jobs.Oh I mean conversions. Upon removing all those special ABS plastic trim pieces the sawsall scars were quite evident.
What?! A Pontic Trans Sport convertible? It must’ve been a one-off or a limited number were built, because I’ve never seen one myself.
Now that’s just about the ugliest thing I have ever seen on wheels; real pity they found it…
Uglier than the Aztek?
My uncle who used to work for gm had one of these.
winning comment
Put a set of wheels off of a late model Grand Prix on would help.
I kinda like it but know it’s someone’s idea of a joke. The windshield finally made sense to me now.
Transvertible? Umm, lets see. I can slip in a Bruce….err Caitlin Jenner joke in here, but I won`t.
How stout were the trannies on these vans?
I think a minivan could work with a huge cloth roll-top, like on a fiat 500; but a traditional convertible top makes no sense.
There’s a Lumina like this running around my town now, except it’s not a convertable, it’s a pickup with an eclosed cab. Someday I hope to get a pic.
I’ve seen a pickup-ified Previa, but never an open-top dusbuster, or any other minivan for that matter.
I’m surprised that it actually has a badge from a “Customs” shop. As shoddy as the workmanship is, it looked like a homebrew to me.
You can get an engraved badge made at a shop that sells trophies, and then rivet it to your homebrew!
Kill it with fire, please.
My brother saved a ’92 Silhouette with a misfire and slipping transmission from a customer who was going to scrap it, healthy 3800 and decent body. Misfire was a trivial coil issue, trans he’s been nursing back to health with some fresh fluid and frequent driving. He now picked up a second Silhouette as a parts van for #1, saw it with a sign “parts only,” got that for $200, and it runs and drives. So he now has two dust busters taking up driveway parking… not sure to what end, he just loves anything from the 90s and has too much mechanical sympathy to junk something that runs.
Every divorce has two sides to it. We’ve heard from one aggrieved party, but not the other. You’re making a lot of assumptions that may well not be true.
I’m reluctant to judge, but Mr. Dahl does come across as someone lacking some of the vital skills to make a marriage work long term, most of all a sense of perspective and humor. I think he has issues, and they were undoubtedly there before his divorce and before I triggered him quite innocently.
I was JUST thinking of this van last week! While reading the “where are they now?” updates some old CCs have been getting I thought “I wonder what happened to the Transvertible and it’s builder?”
There are maybe three instances of owners finding their cars on this site and leaving quite offended reactions but this man took the cake, LOL
APV type vans had a large, thin (as in aluminum foil) sheet of copper between the roof panel and headliner. I always meant to do the homework as to its purpose; never got around to it
Any ideas?
This car was built for a 90’s remake of “The Monkees”. The new Monkeemobile was built but the sponsors decided to air old Lawrence Welk episodes instead.
They couldn’t make it float? GM got a Corvair Loadside Pickup to float. https://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/cars/item/chevrolet-corphibian-1961
Should have installed a Bimini top from a pontoon boat lol!
Somebody did this to a Toyota Previa. Don’t know which came first, the Previa Opentop or the Pontiac Transvertible. The Previa is quite a rough-looking job lacking the refinement of the Pontiac. If you can call it that.
Put it in the category of Johnny Cash’s “One Piece At A Time.”
I am feeling sick….
I have never seen this before. It reminds me of the old poem
I never saw a purple cow
I never hope to see one
But I can tell you here and now
I’d rather see than be one.
YUK!