MRKRYS69
Core Member
This story starts on a Summers day, a good few years ago. I was attending a car show, don't know where, think it may have been somewhen in the late 90's. Anyway, there was this van there, it was a bit different to any van I had seen before, it was a Ford Transit, but it had a V8 engine in it and a really mad custom paint job, that was it, I was in love, I couldn't stop asking the owner questions about it, in fact I think he got a bit pissed off with me, but to this day I remember the van clearly, it was called 'VANIMAL'!!
I kept going to the shows, but soon after Vanimal disapeared, it was about 2 years later that a friend of mine was commuting to Brighton and he told me of a 'nice transit' sat in a yard next to the railway line, he got me a picture one day, and sure enough it was Vanimal, sat there rotting:crazy:, we found where the yard was, but upon getting there was told by the owner that he had sold it!! So that was it, my dreams were shattered, I would never find another vehicle like that one.
A couple more years passed, I bought (and sold) a few american cars, including a '88 Camero and a very rotten AMC Javelin, I got myself a job as a bus driver and everyday on my route I passed this American day van sat outside a house, and thought 'now that is nice'. This one, however, I knew was well out of my league. It was a early 90's Ford Econoline Clubwagon, and in really great condition. One day I was doing my route and I noticed a 'For Sale' sign in the window, that was it, heres my chance, so that weekend, the misses and me went there knocked on the door, and bugger me if it wasn't the same guy that had Vanimal all those years ago, anyway we chatted for a while, he showed us around the van, did a monster burnout, and all was good the misses was excited, until he dropped the bombshell that he was asking ?10,000 for it. At this point we made our excuses and left, knowing that it was simply a dream!!
The following weekend my phone rings and it was the guy with the Ford asking if I wanted to take it for a test drive, I told him I didn't think I could buy it, but he insisted I still came, so I did, loving every moment, but also knowing it simply wasn't going to happen. So again we parted company and a few weeks later the van was gone...I saw it a couple of times at Worthing and other shows, but never saw who had it.
Move on another year or so and I got chatting to an old boy that used to come into the cafe for his lunch and he told me that he had a Camero in his garden, went round there and she was lovely, a 1979 Z28, I helped him do a few jobs on her, and even got a little drive once, but then his wife decided it had to go, so he put it up for sale and a couple from some group called the 'Solent Renegades' bought her, last I saw she was driving off into the sunset.
I then thought it was time for another go into the Yankee world and got my hands on a '88 Chevy Silverado that a friend had bought on a whim, but was unable to keep, I drove it around for a while, but after the birth of my son, it became impracticle to run as it was a two seater, so I put it in storage, where it sat for about 18 months, in the meantime I joined this here Renegades Forum to find out what had happened to the Z28?? On there was a mention of a classic car show near me at Sidlesham FC, so I went along for a look, and met Tracey and H, who have that infamous Z28!! And also a great surprise was the big Ford dayvan and the same owner, a bloke called Pete, from all those years ago, turned out he didn't have the heart to sell it afterall!!
Fast Forward another year and we come to today, The Z28 is still with it's loving owners, The silverado is now owned by Pete who had the dayvan, and I am now the proud owner of that dayvan, and it's name is BLACK MAGIC!!!
I kept going to the shows, but soon after Vanimal disapeared, it was about 2 years later that a friend of mine was commuting to Brighton and he told me of a 'nice transit' sat in a yard next to the railway line, he got me a picture one day, and sure enough it was Vanimal, sat there rotting:crazy:, we found where the yard was, but upon getting there was told by the owner that he had sold it!! So that was it, my dreams were shattered, I would never find another vehicle like that one.
A couple more years passed, I bought (and sold) a few american cars, including a '88 Camero and a very rotten AMC Javelin, I got myself a job as a bus driver and everyday on my route I passed this American day van sat outside a house, and thought 'now that is nice'. This one, however, I knew was well out of my league. It was a early 90's Ford Econoline Clubwagon, and in really great condition. One day I was doing my route and I noticed a 'For Sale' sign in the window, that was it, heres my chance, so that weekend, the misses and me went there knocked on the door, and bugger me if it wasn't the same guy that had Vanimal all those years ago, anyway we chatted for a while, he showed us around the van, did a monster burnout, and all was good the misses was excited, until he dropped the bombshell that he was asking ?10,000 for it. At this point we made our excuses and left, knowing that it was simply a dream!!
The following weekend my phone rings and it was the guy with the Ford asking if I wanted to take it for a test drive, I told him I didn't think I could buy it, but he insisted I still came, so I did, loving every moment, but also knowing it simply wasn't going to happen. So again we parted company and a few weeks later the van was gone...I saw it a couple of times at Worthing and other shows, but never saw who had it.
Move on another year or so and I got chatting to an old boy that used to come into the cafe for his lunch and he told me that he had a Camero in his garden, went round there and she was lovely, a 1979 Z28, I helped him do a few jobs on her, and even got a little drive once, but then his wife decided it had to go, so he put it up for sale and a couple from some group called the 'Solent Renegades' bought her, last I saw she was driving off into the sunset.
I then thought it was time for another go into the Yankee world and got my hands on a '88 Chevy Silverado that a friend had bought on a whim, but was unable to keep, I drove it around for a while, but after the birth of my son, it became impracticle to run as it was a two seater, so I put it in storage, where it sat for about 18 months, in the meantime I joined this here Renegades Forum to find out what had happened to the Z28?? On there was a mention of a classic car show near me at Sidlesham FC, so I went along for a look, and met Tracey and H, who have that infamous Z28!! And also a great surprise was the big Ford dayvan and the same owner, a bloke called Pete, from all those years ago, turned out he didn't have the heart to sell it afterall!!
Fast Forward another year and we come to today, The Z28 is still with it's loving owners, The silverado is now owned by Pete who had the dayvan, and I am now the proud owner of that dayvan, and it's name is BLACK MAGIC!!!
