VF Sandman wagon and ute

**Blocker** · 15-02-2015, 07:14 PM

Get your cheque books ready people, because I can finally announce that Holden will be releasing a VF Sandman in wagon or ute.
Essentially it will be an SS with Sandman decals, custom 20" wheels, a Sandman surfbord and some other trim enhancements. Colour options are only black or silver which is a pity because it's a great opportunity for a couple unique colours.

If I receive a couple photos of the one that has been built I'll share them asap. Release date is mid year, so start saving if you want one!

sandman.png

**Alien DNA** · 15-02-2015, 07:51 PM

Wagon?? No canopy option? :(

Confused as to why they wouldnt use Amcat canopies considering the tooling is already done. Not really exiting in a blaze of glory.

**Innuendo** · 15-02-2015, 08:11 PM

Yeah it will be a Sportswagon as Holden has no deal with the canopy supplier anymore.
Mores the pity. I have no interest in a Sandman Wagon or Ute (I don't think so - anyway!)
Unless I add the canopy to the Sandman Ute.

Still neat the name is being revised "again".

Hopefully it's a "Thunder" and optioned up from there. Anything less would be disappointing.

**Blocker** · 15-02-2015, 08:34 PM

It is an SS wagon and SS ute only. They are not doing the canopies or outsourcing them - something to do with warranty and support (that info is to be confirmed).

It's pretty basic Innuendo, just some decals, rims and trim.. and surfboard.

I guess it's a wait until I get a couple photos or the press release in a couple months.

**Vombil** · 16-02-2015, 01:06 AM

frothin!!!!

**wbute** · 16-02-2015, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by Blocker

It is an SS wagon and SS ute only. They are not doing the canopies or outsourcing them - something to do with warranty and support (that info is to be confirmed).

It's pretty basic Innuendo, just some decals, rims and trim.. and surfboard.

I guess it's a wait until I get a couple photos or the press release in a couple months.

Trim, stickers and wheels, sounds not so much basic, more like Sandman always was.
Station Wagon? That's a bit insulting to all the van lovers... Station wagon, panel van, the same thing now apparently. At least they got the ute right..... Wait till we see what it looks like I suppose.

**HK1837** · 16-02-2015, 09:23 AM

At least the Sandman name is being properly applied to a ute again which is where the GMH sports commercial first started with the HG Be-ute. Not sure about a Sandman wagon though, that is a bit of a shame.
Sandman ute owners get ready for value growth if the same happens to these as what happened to Monaros after V2 release.

**wbute** · 16-02-2015, 10:04 AM

What's this HG Be-ute??? Got any pictures?

**hqhzvans** · 16-02-2015, 10:07 AM

Shame they didnt at a retro feel to the project and use some colours from the Sandman range in the 70's would have been pretty cool and made them a little more unique even if they had limited it to 3-4 different colours still its great to see the name revived not sure the wagon should be in the mix though.

**HK1837** · 16-02-2015, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by wbute

What's this HG Be-ute??? Got any pictures?

Not really, only photo I have is from one of Norm Darwin's early books. Joe Felice (possibly at John Bagshaw's request) asked Leo Pruneau to design up a sports ute for one of the 1970/1 motor shows, so Leo ordered a purple L31 M21 bucket seat HG ute (I think it was a Kingswood) and also had it fitted with GTS front sheetmetal and instruments. He lined the back with timber. The end product was essentially what a HG Sandman optioned with 308 would have looked like.
Leo reckoned the Sandman name was spoken even from 1969 when he arrived here, but isn't sure why it wasn't spoken of with the Beute. With that in mind I still can't find out why it took so long for the prototype Sandman to be built in 12/72 or why it wasn't until 1974 until Sandman was available. Nothing on it was unique or special other than stripes, but even those were essentially GTO stripes as we saw fitted to the 3/72 concept ute.