VF Sandman wagon and ute

[Blocker]

Pretty sure for all our arguing if holden included a bucket and spade with barina and put a sandman sticker on it, it would be a genuine sandman. They're the ones that get to do the naming.
If tis any good and would sell is a whole different story.

I went to give you a reputation approval but accidentally hit 'report post'. Or was it the other way around?

[Innuendo]

Pretty sure for all our arguing if holden included a bucket and spade with barina and put a sandman sticker on it, it would be a genuine sandman. They're the ones that get to do the naming.
If tis any good and would sell is a whole different story.

I'd so take the bucket and spade over the surfboard (so long as it had a sticker kit!)

[Alien DNA]

I'm actually hopeing for a colour and decal matching esky as an accessory

wonder if a tailtent will be an option?

[Innuendo]

I'm actually hopeing for a colour and decal matching esky as an accessory

wonder if a tailtent will be an option?

Esky and Tailtent I'm down with!

[Alien DNA]

Some news floating around

http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news...ign=newsfooter

[Alien DNA]

People have started to photoshop ideas ......expect to see more of this stuff over the next few months

[Big Rob]

That's a van I'd buy!

[Valencia]

That's a van I'd buy!

Minus the graphics YES

[tidyvan]

I’m probably stirring up a hornet’s nest…

I’ve been deep in thought about the announcement of the VF Sandman package ever since I saw the story broken here.

When the first Sandman came out there wasn’t a “sporty” version of the models on which it was based. The Monaro held the reins for sporty with bigger engines and two doors.
Ute and van were usually bench seat, low class affairs. It wasn’t until HX that bucket front seats were standard across the Kingswood range.
So the Sandman represented some desirable equipment in a box that normally didn’t get that equipment, and some visual flair to differentiate it.

Fast forward 40 years and here comes Sandman. What would happen if I was to apply the ideas above, desirable equipment that wasn’t normally fitted, plus visual flair?

Well, starting with the old, the extra equipment boiled down to (looking from HQ to HZ):
- bucket seats
- floor shift
- dashboard
- steering wheel
- wheels
- twin headlight front
- blackouts
- guards
- decals

So I jumped on Holden’s website to look at the base Ute and see where things might go.
The base Ute can’t be optioned with a V8 and is automatic only, but still has all sorts of fruit like bucket seats, bluetooth junk, and reverse parking automatic rim bashing. Surprisingly the tonneau is an option.

With Ute as a base let’s add some desirable things.
- V8 engine
- Sports suspension
- Leather seats as we already have bucket seats
- Colour dash (Ute is single colour on the multi-function driver distraction)
- Make the steering wheel bottom flat as that’s what all the cool kids have
- Sporty rims
- Different front - daytime lights
- decals

Lo and behold it sounds like a model we already have. A little between an SS (no leather) and the SSV.

In my head that sorta misses the spirit behind the idea of Sandman.
An SS with leather seats and stickers. Isn’t that what they did with Storm or Thunder?
The old cynic in me says this is just another way to try and sell some metal, but this time trading on glories of the past. It’s lazy and a little embarrassing that they can’t think to sell the ute/wagon on it’s own merits.

But there is something a little higher up the rung. Something that is desirable and not available in the current Holden Ute or wagon.
If we pay a visit to the Bumper Bar Factory (others call it HSV) we’ll find some better brakes, magnetic jiggery-pokery suspension, more powerful engines, and different things on the TV to distract the driver in new ways.

So let’s apply the old rules to a new Ute.
- bucket seats - heated and ventilated. Already fitted in Holden’s factory for US exports
- floor shift - add the magnetic ride jiggery-pokery button. Already fitted in Holden’s factory for US exports
- dashboard - add the Heads Up Display
- steering wheel - not much to do here
- wheels - 20 inches - bigger is better, right? Right?
- twin headlight front - not a lot to do without tooling costs
- blackouts - change the mirror caps?
- guards - got vents already but maybe change the colour?
- decals - already done as an accessory but there is a little bit of room for a Vacationer sized sticker.

Now we have something that fits the old Sandman mould that would be desirable. A little bit of HSV in the common-man’s car.

Would I like it to happen? Hell yes!
Would it happen? No way.

So I’m left to feel that this is just a sad last marketing grab before Aussie-built Aussie-brilliance goes the way of the dodo.

Here, have an SS with a sticker. But it’s a nice sticker. Got some history you see.
Not long to go before that’s all we’ve got.

[Absinth]

Will it be a 2 door wagon with no back seat? Sounds like a Gemini Gypsy panelvan to me......