There is hardly any vehicle on earth with more rugged sex appeal than the classic VW camper-van. Putting aside Volkswagen’s recent emissions scandal, the classic design that so many hippies once flocked to continues to attract a new generation of travellers who re-outfit the vans to serve as the perfect mobile space for life off-the-beaten path. Customization is one of the greatest joys of the van life. And though most stick to relatively simple internal renovations, some of us weren’t made to walk among men and women—but rather take their place beside the Gods.
These are the 11 most stunning displays of van life glory:
1. It can’t go off road, but when Reino’s “Rusty Lingerie” comes struttin’ through town in her copper pumps, she gives all the boys whiplash.
2. Grab your whiskey and sharpest axe—there’s a beard length requirement to ride this bad motherfucker.
3. Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh…………So pitted.
4. This limo comes with your choice of Tommy Chong, Snoop Dogg or Seth Rogan as your driver.
5. This is known as the Steve Buscemi of the van world: hard on the eyes, but a God-damned beautiful flower on the inside.
6. Beautiful machine; absolutely useless on speed bumps.
7. They tried implementing these buses in the ’70s—high school bus drivers loved these things. But ultimately they were replaced by sober school bus drivers.
8. This was the “short bus.”
9. The rednecks who drove this were conflicted. Hunting ain’t easy when your gun shoots flowers.
10. The bus from the un-aired Brady Bunch episode where the gang goes to Burning Man and gets loaded on acid.
11. Ah, the era when you could take a “double-decker city bus tour” without looking like an asshole.
Photographs originally compiled by Steffen Schroer.
