Built from 1974 through 1980, the Holden Sandman was and still is a cultural icon in its native Australia, one tied in with the mores of the 1970s and its vibrant subculture of carefree youth, surfing, and sex (the Melbourne Age newspaper once described it as "the only car ever built specifically for the purpose of sex").

(from Holden Press Release)  Holden’s light-hearted retro tribute to the iconic Sandman surfmobile of the seventies was created in collaboration with surf and streetwear company, Mambo. Its ‘Bushfire’ custom paint finish, beach and bush goddess murals complete with native fauna and luxurious rear ‘chill out zone’ attracted plenty of attention from Detroit showgoers, says Holden’s Executive In Charge Of Design, Michael Simcoe.

Holden took the wraps off a spectacular design concept that pays modern homage to a fondly remembered automotive icon of the seventies - the Sandman Panel Van.

Based on the VU Holden Ute the one-off special Holden Sandman is the result of a creative collaboration with Australian surf and streetwear company, Mambo.

The Sandman features a ‘Bushfire’ custom paint finish in the blazing combination of red, orange and tangerine. There’s a new retro style Sandman graphic on the tailgate, and spray-painted on its sides are updated Mambo versions of the traditional panel van mural. Depicting uniquely Australian ‘beach and bush goddess’ themes, they are interpretations of original paintings by Mambo project art director, David McKay.

The Sandman interior is equally extravagant. The rear compartment, referred to as a ‘chill out zone’, has been transformed into a lush, plush relaxation space with freeform seating and a surround sound mobile theatre system that’s anything but a blast from the past.

In the cabin, Mambo’s ‘Burnin’ Love’ interior theme extends to flame appliqued red leather, tangerine suede and orange velour seats and custom touches such as a translucent red instrument facia and bushfire alert instrument cluster.

Holden’s Executive In Charge of Design, Michael Simcoe, says the Sandman panel van concept began as a sketch doodled in 1997 by young designer Andrew Smith, who was working on the new VU Holden Ute program.

"We liked the idea – not as a serious design project, but because we saw it as a chance for Holden to take a light-hearted look at the past and at itself. But the Sandman didn’t really get off the ground until we conceived the idea of sharing it with Mambo," he said.

"As I see it, here you have two Australian legends getting together and having fun. Mambo’s a cutting edge company with a whimsical outlook on life, while we tend to be a little more on the conservative side. When two talented design teams approach a task from entirely different directions, you’re bound to get a pretty amazing result."

"This is a recreational vehicle concept that’s not so far off the wall that you couldn’t build a more practical, roadgoing version," Michael Simcoe continued. "Everybody who worked on the Sandman concept got a big creative kick out it. They had a lot of fun, and it shows."

On the 16 November 2000, Sydney International Motor Show:

Holden took the wraps off a spectacular design concept that pays modern homage to a fondly remembered automotive icon of the seventies the Sandman Panel Van.

Based on the VU Holden Ute the one-off special Holden Sandman is the result of a creative collaboration with Australian surf and streetwear company, Mambo.

The Sandman features a "Bushfire" custom paint finish in the blazing combination of red, orange and tangerine. There's a new retro style Sandman graphic on the tailgate, and spray-painted on its sides are updated Mambo versions of the traditional panel van mural. Depicting uniquely Australian "beach and bush goddess" themes, they are interpretations of original paintings by Mambo project art director, David McKay.

The Sandman interior is equally extravagant. The rear compartment, referred to as a "chill out zone", has been transformed into a lush, plush relaxation space with freeform seating and a surround sound mobile theatre system that's anything but a blast from the past.

In the cabin, Mambo's "Burnin" Love' interior theme extends to flame appliqued red leather, tangerine suede and orange velour seats and custom touches such as a translucent red instrument facia and bushfire alert instrument cluster.

Holden's Executive In Charge of Design, Michael Simcoe, says the Sandman panel van concept began as a sketch doodled in 1997 by young designer Andrew Smith, who was working on the new VU Holden Ute program.

"We liked the idea not as a serious design project, but because we saw it as a chance for Holden to take a light-hearted look at the past and at itself. But the Sandman didn't really get off the ground until we conceived the idea of sharing it with Mambo," he said.

"As I see it, here you have two Australian legends getting together and having fun. Mambo's a cutting edge company with a whimsical outlook on life, while we tend to be a little more on the conservative side. When two talented design teams approach a task from entirely different directions, you're bound to get a pretty amazing result.

"This is a recreational vehicle concept that's not so far off the wall that you couldn't build a more practical, roadgoing version," Michael Simcoe continued. "Everybody who worked on the Sandman concept got a big creative kick out it. They had a lot of fun, and it shows."

Dare Jennings, Creative Director, Mambo, said a significant year for the company had been made even more special by the invitation from Holden to participate in this exciting project.

"The Holden Sandman represents one of the most important eras in the motoring and cultural history of Australia. Certainly many of us here at Mambo have a strong sentimental, even spiritual attachment to this much-loved classic having owned one, in the case of several staff members, or having been conceived in one, in the case of several junior staff members.

"We look forward to seeing highways throughout Australia eventually gridlocked by a whole new generation of Sandmen and women," Dare Jennings concluded.

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