A TREK-ED OUT RIDE
Star Trek-themed boogie van painted by Toronto man on sale for $10,000,
It’s the stuff of Trekkie dreams, an earthly incarnation of the USS Enterprise, and it’s on sale for just under $10,000.
A Vancouver man has posted on Craigslist his “Custom Star Trek ‘Boogie’ van,” a 1978 GMC G15 Vandura, every square centimetre of which is airbrushed with designs based on the famed sci-fi series. Painted by Toronto artist Gordon S. Roy in 1980, the vehicle’s hood features portraits of Dr. Leonard McCoy (a.k.a. Bones), Captain Kirk and Spock, while its sides bear murals of the Enterprise in outer space and Spock intertwined with a half-naked woman. Hardly understated, the interiors are upholstered in diamond quilted, crushed red velvet.
“Not a vehicle for the shy,” cautions owner Brian Geddes in his listing posted Tuesday. “You absolutely cannot go anywhere without many thumbs up, cheers, and people waxing nostalgic about custom vans and/ or Star Trek.”
Geddes, 43, purchased the van from its Kingston owner on Aug. 22, 2013, the day his second son was born, and shipped it out west.
“I guess I was having a bit of a midlife crisis when my second son was born,” the self-described car fanatic tells the Star. Luckily, his wife thought it was “cool.”
For the first year, Geddes, a store designer for outdoor brand Arc’teryx, says he drove the van to and from the office daily. There was no shortage of double takes.
“What I love about the van is everybody reacts to it, but it’s a fun ‘make my day’ kind of reaction,” he says. “People are giving it the thumbs up and yelling at it ’cause it brightens their day.”
Even at night time, he says he’s been blinded by flash photography.
“You’re like ‘What is that in my mirror? I can’t see’ and it turns out it’s the guy next to you taking pictures.”
But using the van to transport both of his young sons to and from daycare became “cumbersome,” says Geddes. So on Tuesday night, he listed it for sale at $9,500, describing it as being in excellent mechanical condition. He’s since received two dozen inquires. “I’ll be sad to see it go.”
Geddes, who has owned 48 cars in his lifetime including his current fleet of two Porsches, a vintage Mini Cooper and a Mercedes AMG Wagon, says being a Trekkie isn’t what drew him to the van.
“It’s more the ’80s culture of the customized vans that I like,” he says. “Whenever I see a survivor around, I’m like ‘I gotta have that.’ ”
Toronto’s Roy, a mixed-medium artist, still remembers painting the Star Trek van. It was one half of a double commission from two cousins, he says. (The other gentleman wanted an ocean-themed van.)
“Those were the days when vans were the in thing and people came up with mostly popular themes at the time, Lord of the Rings and Star Trek,” says Roy, 61, recalling his own former Ford Torino nicknamed the “Dragon Wagon,” which depicted a gladiator riding the back of a dragon with a topless woman in the foreground. The Trekkie wrap took him about a month to complete, partially in front of a live audience.
“You absolutely cannot go anywhere without many thumbs up, cheers, and people waxing nostalgic about custom vans and/or Star Trek.” BRIAN GEDDES OWNER