It looks like Scooby-Doo and the gang moved down under, and still have an affinity for forward-control vans. The long-lived Mitsubishi Express was one of the first cars I ever wrote about, and they remain ubiquitous on account of their extremely lengthy production run. Usually they are painted white, but this camper van was given a lurid Mystery Machine paint job. Companies like Wicked Campers decorate their vans with all kinds of wacky color schemes and artwork, but this is the first Mystery Machine I’ve ever seen.
There’s an oft-repeated joke that the “fog” surrounding the gang’s van in the old cartoons was actually clouds of weed smoke. After all, didn’t Shaggy seem like the archetypal stoner to you? I have no doubt that camper vans like this “Mystery Machine” have seen plenty of recreational drug use, particularly when European backpackers take them down to Byron Bay for music festivals.
Passenger versions of these Express vans wore the very hippy-esque name “Starwagon”. Frankly, I’d be disappointed if I went to rent a camper van and got one of these horrid vans. Most of the camper vans you see are infinitely nicer JDM Toyota Estimas, and I think one of those would be a much nicer choice for Scooby and Friends.
An Estima would be a much safer choice, too.
I thought this van was still being made! But according to Wikipedia production ended in 2013.
Crash test video: that’s why all current vans have a nose with the engine under its hood.
Below a recent model Toyota HiAce panel van. Compare that with the older types HiAce flat-front-deathtraps.
Around here the HiAce is still foward control and the semi-bonneted one is the Granvia minivan.
Here too Hiaces sell like hotcakes nobody tries to crash them and even the forward control Hiace is semi bonneted now.
Around here the HiAce has been withdrawn from the market. The red van above was the last generation we had.
Forward control vans (like the old VW T3) are not available anymore.
This car has a doppelganger in Long Beach, Washington. Another Mitsu van painted as the Mystery Machine. Permenantly parked near Marsh’s Free Museum. Could this be a micro-trend?
When I saw Scooby-Doo on CTV, I was able to discern the origins of The Mystery Machine. Based on research, the Mystery Machine was loosely based on the 1962-1969 GMC van. Its dimensions are equal to the what the Van looked like, depending on the year.
Wicked campers and the Juicy variety clog the roads here the Wicked variety all seem to be old bombs graffitied up though those Mitsubishis have only just left our market, Ive driven several L300 vans and plenty of Hiaces and still cant see why they are unsafe if you are so incompetent behind the wheel that you need a stability program to keep you safe get off the road untill you gain some skills to keep you from crashing, oh aqnd I was the first in a queue of stopped traffic one night while rescue crews cut a woman from a 4 Runner she hit a Mitsu van head on the van driver got out unaided and was walking around, I place little value on ANCAP insurance industry testing.
From the standpoint of using the front occupant’s knees as the bumper, the Mitsubishi seems to be the perfect successor to the Grandaddy of hippie vans; the VW bus.
Here’s one I spotted in eastern Kentucky a few years ago on a used car lot.
My first thought when I saw the title was this was going to be a CC about the Plymouth Roadrunner.
It’s like weirdo, Scoob.