There have been periods of darkness (at least to some of us) within the custom car hobby. Periods where manufacturers produced less than stellar products, where something seemed good at the time and later we all scratched our heads and wondered why? It is true that trends come and go throughout this hobby, and very little ever stays the same. Some trends come back, some leave forever and with good reason.

The 1970s might have been the dark ages in many respects for car enthusiasts everywhere. There were oil embargos, gas shortages, and choking emissions standards. The President was on TV wearing sweaters and pleading with a nationwide audience to turn down the thermostat. High powered Muscle Cars might have made 180 hp, if you ordered the right options in the right years. It was a dark time indeed for those whose souls were stirred by both horsepower and aesthetics.

One strangely odd trend of the seventies and automotive customization was the custom van craze. Not necessarily the cool tough guy vans like we saw the A-Team fighting bad guys in years later, (that was the 80s for you youngsters out there). We’re talking shag carpet, disco balls, wizard murals, faux scoops, and fake exhaust pipes galore.

The craze included wild paint schemes and pinstripes, louvers, custom cut diamond or moon windows and airbrushed or hand painted murals all over the large blank automotive canvas. Many of the car magazines at the time even did van project vehicle builds.

While some may hang their heads in shame or completely deny their involvement in the van rage, there are those trying to make a comeback of the styles from this era. There’s even been some van shows around the country that continue to thrive.

Love or hate them, during some browsing on eBay we found this crazy van, claimed to possibly be a major show winner of years past, up for auction. This 1969 Ford, named Pegasus by its creator has all the trimmings of a swinging seventies party and show machine. eBay item number 280961067961, the current owner claims this swinging V8 powered hot rod runs and drives. Some of the ad reads like the copy of recent Old Spice Commercials, so be sure to get into character with your smoothest lady killer voice before reading it out loud.

The current owner claims to have talked with several people who “remember” the van from back in the day. Claims include that it “may” have won the Atlanta World of Wheels show sometime during the groovy van era of the 70s and also it “may” have been featured in one of those funky van magazines as well.

From the photos and description, this thing would definitely need restoration to return it to its former glory, right now it seems to look like something a creepy relative or neighbor would drive, or something that would have some smoke rolling out the side door followed by some coughing teenage kids plagued with the munchies piling out of it. Modifications include the faux side-pipes, done in Funny Car fashion. Pegasus murals adorn both sides and “Ride Like The Wind” with a Pegasus and an icy mountain scene are painted on the back.

There is of course shag carpet (the only kind that belongs in a groovy van), a vintage radar detector and Pegasus murals throughout the interior as well. We’d venture to say that back in the day, this probably was a fairly high dollar van build. In all seriousness the quality of the work at least from the pictures appears to have been fairly solid, it has after all held up for probably close to forty years.

Starting bid is set at $3,000 and as of this writing there were no takers for this groovy piece of automotive history. If you’re looking for a groovy van project with some possible history, you better hurry, the auction ends later this week.