This van is a real dog – and an upgrade from the original version

Not many vehicles are equally suited for car events and dog shows. A Greyhound bus comes to mind. Perhaps a Sunbeam Tiger – if you can somehow convince show-goers that the British roadster was named after the family dog on the Brady Bunch. (And good luck with that, considering the TV show first appeared in 1969, years after the Sunbeam Tiger made its debut.)

For our money, we’ll take the Mutt Cutts van driven by Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne in the 1994 comedy film Dumb and Dumber (and in its not-so-stellar sequel, Dumb and Dumber To).

The original “Shaggin’ Wagon” began its life as a nondescript 1984 Ford Econoline van that certainly didn’t stay that way once movie makers got their paws on it. The panel van was transformed into a giant dog with the addition of tan carpet inside and out, along with a tail, floppy ears, legs, nose, whiskers and tongue. The windshield served as the dog’s “eyes.” Just for fun, you had to lift a rear leg to reach the gas cap.

Mutt Cutts replica vans show up from time to time in parades and at shows, and some more true to the original than others. A British version of the “Shaggin’ Wagon” will be offered at the Historics at Brooklands auction on June 11 on London’s outskirts. Created using a right-hand-drive 2002 LDV Pilot panel van powered by a Peugeot 1.9-liter diesel engine, the Mutt Cutts replica has been on fundraising tour in Europe to benefit the British Heart Foundation.

According to the auction description: “We could discuss the LDV Pilot van that forms the skeleton of this strange offering, but that would somehow defeat the object of the exercise. What (we) can tell you is that this curious vehicle has now made its way into the national subconscious on both sides of the Atlantic and represents one of the most famous and recognisable (sic) ‘film cars’ of all time.”

If you own a dog grooming business, this van could give you a leg up on the competition.