CAN a commercial vehicle become a cult machine and live a life that outgrows its origins?

If you look at the Volkswagen Kombi — once a poor man’s trade vehicle and now a collectable — it certainly seems it can happen.

Closer to home, the panel van became a metal palette for Holden, Ford and Chrysler to find a new and youthful market niche for its already popular tradies vans.

The Holden Sandman epitomises the swell of a burgeoning 1970s personal freedom in a home-grown cars that symbolised a new-wave of national pride and uniqueness.

Who would have guessed that a panel van would become the most sought after machine for youth in the early 1970s?

In its favour, the work vehicle was relatively inexpensive, basic and roomy. It was designed with sufficient space to carry large loads so becoming a vehicle suitable for camping was a simple ex-tension.

Holden cleverly followed the trend with a Kingswood-based panel van for people who had no inten-tion of any commercial application, picking up on the surfing culture with plans for an upmarket ve-hicle that could become a secure mobile carriage for surf equipment, including surfers and wanna-be surfers.

Enter the Sandman. Holden introduced the Sandman ute and panel van in 1974 in the HQ series, based on standard models but with extras including the comprehensive dashboard from the Monaro, two seats and sports wheels.

It immediately hit a sales sweet spot with younger male buyers, outselling the Monaro and promptly dubbed “shaggin’ wagon” and “sinbin” and becoming the catalyst for similar vehicles from Ford and Chrysler with the respective Sundowner and Valiant Drifter.

By late 1978, the fizz had almost completely gone from the Sandman panel van market. People who wanted a surf wagon already owned one and new buyers were moving on to other trends.

The example here is possibly the most pristine Sandman in Australia. Built in the last year of the model’s life, the three-owner van was restored over 24 years by its second owner and has been in the hands of its current West Australian owner for the past four years.

“I spent three years looking for a Sandman,” the owner said.

“During that time, what I found were mainly fakes that people had built from the Kingswood vans of the day. Most of the real Sandmans had rusted away because they were owned by people who lived on the coast.

“After researching all the GM-H catalogues and investigating countless cars, I found this one in Queensland. The owner was reluctant to sell it but he also was finalising the restoration on a Sand-man ute.”

He said the Sandman van was correct in all its original tags and plates, showing it as a two-seater.

“The problem with these vehicles is that there are too many fakes. Standard panel vans were three seaters, so that’s the first confirmation that it is likely to be a genuine Sandman.”

The other signs include the two-piece rear bumper, full headliner in the cabin and rear area, four-headlight and Premier grille, courtesy lights in the footwells and for the HZ, a front spoiler. Sandman production was both in South Australia and Queensland, requiring further investigation on chassis numbers to ensure authenticity.

Options fitted to this car are correct, including the Monaro GTS fenders (requiring the relocation of the “Sandman” logo) and mirrors, mud flaps and the Valencia Orange paint.

The wheels are from a Torana SLR and the tyres are aftermarket rubber that was available in the era of the HZ and were often used as replacements. The owner retains the original Monaro-style wheels and tyres.

The decals are hand cut and come from Stickthis decals in South Australia, with other parts from Rare Spares, including all new door and window rubber

This Sandman runs a 308 cubic-inch (5.0-litre) V8 with a four-barrel Rochester carburettor, has a standard clutch and pressure plate and an M21 “Aussie” four-speed gearbox.

The owner said he was fortunate to find a technician who can work on tuning the engine, particular-ly working on the carburettor which is becoming a lost art.

If the 1970s era dictated fashion by bright colours, then this Sandman was an instant hit. The or-ange paint glows in Perth’s noon light, set off by the liberal chrome and the alloy wheels with the body-coloured relief on the spokes, the white-painted T/A script on the tyres and especially the warmth of the V8 engine at idle.

Expectations were that this would be just like a panel van to drive – airy inside with vague steering and lots of engine exhaust boom in the open cargo area.

But the HZ was the first of a line of Holdens that put handling as one of the first priorities, thanks entirely to the car-maker’s new German head Peter Hanenberger who introduced Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS) to the range and promptly ended the slushy, Cadillac-style drive dynamics de-manded by its previous American bosses.

On the road the Sandman shows positive steering (hydraulically-assisted) with good turn in to cor-ners, a flat stance through the bends and easy driving manners that are quite apart from the previ-ous Kingswood vans.

The best part is the V8 burble and the engine’s willingness to rev and yet cope with the high-ratio differential that makes the gears very tall. There is such strong torque at low revs that at all times the engine feels impervious to stalling.

It is, of course, a bit thirsty but the reward is this lazy flow of power and the deep bass of the ex-haust. The gearbox is noted for its slick change and though the M21 wasn’t regarded as being as tough as some later gearbox designs, it’s a much easier unit to operate in stop-start traffic thanks to the shift quality and the modest clutch pedal effort.

The Sandman is now worth a lot of money. This car could fetch more than $100,000 and there has even been one WA car posted recently for $330,000.

The question could be: Is now the time to buy? The baby boomers who are buying these cars re-member them from their youth. The next generation has no such attachment and could result in diminishing prices in decades to come, rather than cars such as the Porsche 911 or Mercedes coupes that are continuing to appreciate.

Specifications

Make: Holden
Model: Sandman Panel Van
Model code: HZ
Year: 1978
Price new ($A): $6867

• Engine: 5.0-litre V8
• Valves: OHV/bank, 16-valve
• Bore/stroke: 101.6 mm x 77.7 mm
• Comp. ratio: 9.7:1
• Aspiration: normal
• Power: 161 kW @ 4800 rpm
  Torque: 400 Nm @ 3100 rpm
• Power-to-weight: 111.5 kW/tonne
• Fuel: 1 x 4bbl Rochester Quadrajet carburettor
• Fuel tank: 75 litres
• Fuel thirst: 18 litres/100 km
• Transmission: 4-speed manual
• Drive: Rear
• 0-100km/h: 9.5 sec
• Top speed: 165 km/h
• Dimensions:
• Length: 4938 mm
• Width: 1877 mm
• Height: 1608 mm
• Wheelbase: 2896 mm
• Track (ft/rr): 1532 mm/1532 mm
• Weight: 1444 kg

Chassis:

• Suspension (ft/rr): Ind, SLA, coils, RTS/live axle, 4-link, coils, RTS
• Brakes: (ft/rr): Vented disc/drum
• Steering: Recirculating ball
• Wheels: 14-inch 5-spoke steel
• Tyres: Steel belted radials ER70H14