http://www.ScaleAutoMag.com 63TESTORS
SUPERVAN
A rescued tooling reveals surprise origins
by Tim BoydThe highly customized Dodge van
by famous car customizer George
Barris was initially promoted as the
Love Machine. IMC first released a
model kit version in 1973; one of the
very last products from IMC before it
exited plastic models.
Barris later freshened the real van
for the lead role in a 1977 Hollywood
movie production called SuperVan. In
the meantime, Testors bought many
IMC tools, and a second release of the
kit under the Testors label appeared in
1977 with the same IMC stock number.
Inside, the instruction sheet includes
the typical Testors introduction.
Happily, the remainder of the
instructions are drawn in the style
distinctive of the AMT art department.
The engine is a factory-stock Dodge
318 wedge. Options include a pseudo-
Hemi layout paired with Hilborn
injection setup and Zoomie headers.
The well-detailed chassis comes with
posable front wheels. Anyone who
built models in the 1960s might begin
to say this engine, frame, and
suspension sure look familiar.
A little investigation confirms
virtually all the undercarriage came
straight from the original IMC (now
Lindberg) Dodge A100 Little Red
Wagon, many of the parts trees being
exact reproductions. The SuperVan kit
lengthens the frame with an insert
between the engine mounts and the
No. 3 crossmember. Testors (and IMC
before it) even left the original Little
Red Wagon kit’s troublesome lower
rear roll pan on the frame sprue.
But the all-new interior and body are
the main stories. The body structure
comes in one piece with openings for
large windows in heavily smokedCLASSIC KITS
TESTORS SUPERVAN
Kit No. 123
Introduced: 1977, never reissued
Present Value: $50Sometimes the stories behind the cars replicated by scale
models are as fascinating as the kits themselves. At least that’s
the case with the Testors SuperVan kit.
translucent styrene. The passenger side
window is hinged to open upward,
matched to a lower door that opens
horizontally to the ground.
The interior houses all the usual van-
era accoutrements: TV and cabinet,
VCR, and FM stereo. Separate speaker
boxes presumably hide three-way bass
reflex speakers. How do you top a
circular bed centered in the diamond
tufted interior? Make it revolve!
The original IMC box featured a
color photo of the real van as Love
Machine. Testors used new art derived
from the SuperVan movie poster.
The Testors SuperVan kit remains a
rare find. If you love ’70s vans and
disco-era kitsch, this classic kit should
be your jam.