Surf Cars! The new Holden Sandman

There isn’t a whole lot of cars made specifically for surfers. Nor should there be, really. But those in existence are usually custom jobs, featuring things like internal board racks knocked up with leftover wood and a can-do attitude, proudly shown off while using words like “pimped.” But the Sandman is a kinda classic vehicle, about as close to a bespoke surf mobile as you might get; It’s a panelvan you’d find tearing down numerous dirt tracks nationwide in Oz post-1974 release. In its original incarnation, the Sandman was a genius way for Holden to broaden the appeal of a tradie car by aligning it with surf culture. And now, it’s getting a new look.

Enter: The new Holden Sandman – or, the Opel Vivaro “Surf Edition” if you’re in Europe. It’s a five-seater with a pretty wacky colour palette, but the windows are tinted, the roof racks are built in, the flooring is all waterproof, and there’s a toughened screen between the cabin and cargo area to stop cargo from flying into the cabin. In other words, you and your buddies can burn down the coast and beat the hell out of it without worrying too much.

The Surf Edition was revealed at the Frankfurt motor show this week. Back in March, Holden had introduced a Sandman tribute edition of the Commodore wagon and ute, but purists called bullshit on it because it wasn’t a panel van. Which is quite fair, really. This Edition seems far more legit. But the only question is, does it come in black? I also wish they’d shot it with a Fred Rubble on the roof rather than single-rudder longboard.