BLOOMINGTON − Brian Jones was driving down Miller Drive in Bloomington about 15 years ago when something caught his eye: a custom-built GMC conversion van, white with red trim, the word “Hoosiers” painted low on the passenger side.
He pulled into the parking lot at what then was Iron Pit Gym. He asked about the 1988 GMC Vandura G2500 and wondered if it was for sale.
“I’ve had a lot of great cars, but I’ve always been a van person,” said Jones, who’s owned 12 vans over the years. “I always thought vans were cool. This is my fifth custom high topped one.”
The gym owner said he discovered the van parked in warehouse space at the Miller Drive building. The van would have been plush and top-of-the-line back in the day, with its thick red plush fabric covering the interior walls. Those luxurious burgundy leather seats.
“You know, back in the ‘80s, vans were all the rage,” he reminded me. “Everyone wanted the coolest van.”
There’s track mood lighting, a bed, a small bar and a table that folds out when the back doors open. A refrigerator. A small RCA television and a working VCR. Two stereo systems with headphones for each passenger. The many windows have venetian blinds and red curtains.
Called a Rally Wagon, the van was custom built at Day Cruiser in Elkhart, which specializes in high-end bus conversions. The van can plug into a campground electrical site. It’s a luxury suite on wheels.
The vehicle appealed to Jones. “The guy that bought the gym from Larry Holtz he said he had just pulled it out of the warehouse in the back corner. He started it right up and drove it out.”
Jones knew of Holtz, a Bloomington entrepreneur who owned several local bars and restaurants. “I got inside to take a look and saw the paperwork and realized who the original owner had been.”
The vehicle was immaculate and buying it crossed Jones’s mind. “I asked him if it was for sale, and he said he just wanted it gone,” Jones said. “I made an offer.”
He handed the man $2,500 cash and left in the van.
It had 60,000 miles on the odometer; Jones has added about 10,000 more. He said the high-performance engine has no mechanical issues. He keeps the tall van parked outside his house and has his mechanic check it out once a year.
Jones has other cars and two pickup trucks so the van stays mostly parked. “I drive it three or four times in the summer, down around Lake Monroe and back.” He takes it out on the highway too, driving beyond the speed limit to clear out the car’s system.
“I’ve had it at 80 mph, and it just sails along smooth. It’s like you’re sitting at home on your living room couch.”
The coolest van.
Have a story to tell about a car or truck? Contact My Favorite Ride reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: My Favorite Ride’s focus on a fancy custom-built 1988 ‘Hoosiers’ van
Reporting by Laura Lane, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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