We Pity the Fool Who Doesn’t Bid On This A-Team Van
Collectively, we pity the fool (but be careful using that phrase—it was trademarked by the man who made it famous, Mr. T) who tries to replicate the charcoal GMC van from his series The A-Team, the oddly-non-Emmy-winning NBC television show from the mid-1980s.
Not because it’s so hard to do—after all, there’s a YouTube video on how to build a replica of the A-Team van—but because it’s so much easier just to buy one at auction.
Which, incidentally, will be possible this Saturday at Mecum’s auction in Houston. The van is part of the 10-vehicle Texas Movie Car Collection, which will be sold consecutively, likely in the afternoon, judging from the lot numbers.
It appears, however, that none of the vehicles have ever actually been in a movie, or on a TV show. They are all replicas, except for two of the four NASCAR Cup cars, which apparently are very real. Besides the A-Team van, they include:
The Flintstones Flintmobile Golf Cart, which features “simulated wood construction” and “decorative front and rear rollers”—decorative in the sense that the Flintmobile actually motors along on golf cart tires. It’s powered by four batteries. Yabba, dabba, don’t try to operate it on public roads.
The 1923 Ford Munsters Koach Replica, certainly the most ambitious of the offered vehicles. Its V-8 engine has an “ornamental multi-carb setup placed on top of air cleaner,” which sits atop an Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor. A bonus: It’s signed by Butch Patrick, the actor who played little Eddie Munster. Patrick is 70 now.
A 1952 Chevrolet Ice Cream Truck, which apparently isn’t modeled after a movie or TV vehicle, but does have a Tecumseh 110-volt refrigeration compressor located behind the rear axle, along with a Honeywell 110-volt fan in the fiberglass freezer box.
The 1966 Chrysler Imperial Custom Sedan, which is “built to resemble the Black Beauty from The Green Hornet TV series.” It’s powered by a V-8 with an automatic transmission. This may turn off some potential buyers: Front and rear missile launchers and trunk-mounted machine guns are “simulated.”
This 1984 Chevrolet K5 Blazer, “built to replicate Chief Jim Hopper’s Blazer from the TV show Stranger Things,” sort of comes from left field. It includes “simulated bullet holes and Hawkins Police Department graphics.”
The four stock cars include replicas of a Darrell Waltrip 1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS and a Richard Petty 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix Aerocoupe, which is signed by Petty. The real stock cars are a 2007 Chevrolet Impala which was (“purportedly”) driven by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and a Tony Stewart 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Both of those cars are powered by 850-horsepower V-8s. The dashboard of the Tony Stewart car bears a sign that says, “KEEP YOUR HAND OUT OF THE SNAKE’S MOUTH.” We aren’t sure what it means, but it seems like good advice.
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Man, we are really stretching to find something cool to replicate when we put the A-Team Van and a Blazer Police vehicle on our list of “ooh-aah” things!
Fun fact, the “pity the fool” phrase was never used on The A-Team. Mr T did say it in Rocky III, however.
Mandela effect right there. As a
child in the 80s would have sworn Mr. T said it.on the A-Team.
I remember visiting Universal Studios in California back in the 80’s or 90’s and I can recall the A-Team van sitting in the back lot collecting dust.
An interesting mix of movie/tv cars and trucks. Munsters-mobile is kind of fun.
The ice cream truck is similar to one in the film “Phantasm.”
I was thinking more of the one in Cheech and Chong’s “Nice Dreams”.
What, no “Mutt Cutts” van based off a Volvo station wagon?
Ugh to all of the above.
Maybe it’s just the picture, but the top of the van above the stripe looks black, when it should be dark charcoal gray.
I might be wrong but was there grey paint on lower part of van?
Junior’s car is a Monte Carlo not an Impala, gee not many car people at Hagerty Magazine these days, the last 2 door Impala was built in the 1980’s
Hi Lynn,
Chevy did use the Impala name in NASCAR for a brief while in the modern era, beginning in 2007. This car is correctly referenced by the Mecum auction listing and in the article. -Eddy
Eddy, I stand corrected, it is just I just always see the great Hendrick Motors drivers wheeling Monte Carlos. As I had a replica of the number 8 in the early 00s that I ended up selling at a BJ auction. I guess I was reacting to so many non automotive people being at Hagerty since it became a lifestyle company and no longer focused on it core business. Best Lynn
A fairly classy response after a fairly unclassy remark to begin with. I salute you, LynnG!
It’s a shame Hagerty doesn’t promote any classified ad like they claim to do on the Marketplace website.
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