A motoring icon of 1970s Australia was the Sandman, a panel van and ute produced by Holden in Australia between 1971 and 1979. Unlike the normal van which had rubber strips on the floor of the cargo area and little else, the Sandman was often decked out by its owner for recreational use with everything from fridges, televisions and sound systems to waterbeds. With its noticeably extended rear roofline, it proved ideal for viewing movies at the drive-in theatre; one simply opened up the back door to watch the movie.

It wasn't too long, however, before the Panel Van version, or PV for short, gained notoriety for other activities, like getting intimately acquanted with members of the opposite sex. The PVs became known by a variety of other names -  like shaggin' wagons and sin bins. They were dreaded by the mothers of teenage girls (fearing their daughters would be seduced by the young male Sandman drivers) and often by the teenage girls themselves (fearing the degree of intimacy expected of them). To the young men who drove them, however, the Sandman represented a lifestyle of freedom, sun, sand and surfing.

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Right: Sandman advertisement

The Sandman vehicles were visually identified by stick-on vinyl decals on the exterior, with the 1976 HX version introducing a large 'Sandman' logo on the tailgate and stripes down the sides. The final HZ version, introduced in late 1977, featured a choice of V8 engines only, along with a four-headlight grille and under bumper front spoiler.

According to a GMH Price List dated 25th January 1979, a basic HZ Holden panel van was priced at $6,076, with the Sandman option package an additional $1,700. The further optional components also included 5.0 litre V8 engine and a limited slip differential. If a buyer selected every Sandman extra, the price would be more than 150% of the cost of the basic HZ model.

The Ford Sundowner and Chrysler Drifter also competed with Holden's Sandman in the panelvan arena, but they never quite achieved the cultural icon status the Sandman seemed to evoke. By the early 1980s however, the Sandman had largely lost its place in the contemporary Australian culture, and became merely a trade vehicle and an icon of a bygone era.

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