Summer is arriving too quick !

Oooh noo, so much to do so little time. I've been slacking off, well not really but it seems like it when I get my nose stuck in so many things and don't get it all done.

Vanfest is coming up quick in just over a month now. I've been doing the Vanfest website since about 2003 and been on the staff for as long. I totally revamped the website in the past couple of days to attract a bit more attention to it: Vanfest 2012 website . This year there will also be a special memorial to Al Brown who passed away this past Christmas. I'll post more about that once we iron out the details.
 I mentioned a couple of posts back about going to Ivan Benic's during my trip to Autorama. Ivan's been very busy redoing the murals on the Cosmic Cruiser, building an incredible supercar, building another radical tandem Dodge van and a variety of other projects. Yesterday he had 100 gearheads through his shop on tour from Detroit. I had the great opportunity to hang out with Ivan all afternoon in his shop and had a very nice dinner prepared by his mother who is absolutely incredible.

Here's a closeup of some of the new artwork on the Cosmic Cruiser.

Here's a shot of Ivan's Supercar project, it's a fully handbuilt aluminum body. The plan is for it to have a 500hp rear mounted engine. It will scream ! Ivan's been posting regularly on Facebook. You can try to keep up with all the stuff he's been doing over there. Look forward to seeing him again at Vanfest and maybe before if things work out.

One of the things that interested me the most about vans from day one is the creativity that goes into the body mods and the artwork on the vans. There's a whole new generation of artists who are using vans as their subjects and or canvases. I'll be showcasing some of their work and linking up their websites. In the past year I've been fortunate to hang out with some of them and to be able to buy artwork from others.
The artists creating van art range from artists who do renderings, airbrush artists and photographic artists who choose vans as their subjects or canvas'.
I've added to the Van Art section of Showvans.com and will add more as needed.

Steam Whistle Brewery Dodge, Chevy Van 50th.

Went by my favorite brewery yesterday, Steam Whistle is conveniently located at the base of the CN Tower in Toronto. Was hoping to see their newest delivery vehicle and was not disappointed. Here it is in all it`s metalflaked splendor. They got this so right with all the right accessories, molded in flairs and the stance is wicked. We`ll be back there on the pre Vanfest Virtual tour for sure to check it out including the interior. 

The original Chevy van came out in the 1964 model year. Hoping that Chevy will do something for this milestone. I`ve setup a Facebook page to get some interest going in this : 50th Anniversary of the Chevy Van on Facebook.