9 Vintage Vans That Secretly Want To Be Cartoon Stars

Key Points:

• Classic vans from the mid-20th century had distinctive, animated character-like designs, contrasting with the more serious appearance of modern vans, and many pioneered features now standard in the industry.
• The DKW Schnellaster (1949) was a front-engine, front-wheel-drive van with a flat floor and optimistic design, notable for being one of the first mass-produced FWD vehicles and a rival to the VW Bus T1.
• The Tempo Matador (1949) featured a melancholic design with rear-hinged doors and was powered by a Volkswagen engine, but production was limited due to competition with VW; it was later revived with a different engine.
• The Fiat 600 Multipla (1956-1967) was a compact yet spacious microvan with three rows of seating, known for its clever use of space despite minimal safety features and modest power.
• Other notable quirky vans include the intelligent-looking Mazda Bongo (1966), the "pig-nosed" Peugeot D3 known for food delivery, the snail-shaped Nissan S-Cargo from the late 1980s, and the practical Barkas B 1000 from East Germany.
• The Renault Estafette (1959-1986) was France's versatile front-wheel-drive van favored by police and available in multiple configurations, while the British Bedford CA (1952) was a rear-wheel-drive workhorse popular for various commercial uses and camper conversions.