Touring the Deliciously Crappy Yet Awesome 1980s Ford Centurion Van Trucks

There’s this weird phenomenon that exists in car culture. We aren’t too sure that this phenomenon branches out into other parts of the world. However, there is a theme in the automotive world that says that crappy things can be cool.

When we look back at lots of vehicles over time, they have this draw simply because of how awful they are by today’s standards. This might sound like one big smack-talking session. However, we say these things with a strange admiration for these sorts of vehicles. Their appeal really lies in the oddity of it all.

One of these anomalies of the automotive world is the Ford Centurion Van Truck. One look at these things would probably have most people with a normal functioning brain wondering what the heck they are. After learning that an actual company put these contraptions together and somebody didn’t hack them up in their garage, even more questions come to life.

As it turns out, in the 1980s, the market had far different preferences than it does today. For example, pickup trucks weren’t exactly popular and the thing to have were big and luxurious vans. Therefore, in order to accommodate, Centurion decided to combine the Ford Econoline with a pickup truck bed. Throw in lots of wood similar to what we would find on an old boat and you have the Ford Centurion Van Truck. Apparently, they targeted people looking to haul boats or horse trailers.

These things are definitely as confusing as they are awesome but we can’t help but want to learn more. By following along with the video below from Mr. Regular himself, we get the in-depth tour of something that we honestly had no idea even existed.

 

Even though we can practically smell the mildew from here, we can’t help but want one of these strange products of the 80s.