The Brass Van is the unique art car ever on Earth which is completely covered with brass items. The van, also known as “California Fantasy Van”, takes almost 22 years to get into its current state.
The Brass Van currently belongs to Hunter Mann, but the original idea was from its previous owner Ernie Steingold. Ernie Steingold, the repairman, first created the van by brass in the early 1980s. The work continues until more than 20 years later. Three brass elephants were attached to the hood as decoration first, and then Steingold came up with the thought to cover the 1975 GMC van with brass coins (almost $15,000 worth of coins). At this time, there are around 5,000 pieces of brass attached to the vehicle, which helps to make the weight up to 10,000 pounds.
The present owner of the car once said, “It's what's known as an “art car”, which is an automobile - in this case, a van - that has been transformed into a work of art”.
he art van with unique decoration has been shown in People magazine and the Discovery Channel.More than 5,000 pieces of brass items are attached to the van right now.
According to the documentary, approximately 80 percent of the brass was brought from the same store during 22 years.
The Brass Van also makes up the opening scene for “L.A. Story” movie.
Except for the time wandering around with the car, Hunter often displays it at the Art Car World museum, Douglas, Arizona, USA.
With the weight of more than 10,000 pounds in total, Hunter Mann has to replace the van’s tires every 4,000 miles.
When traveling around in the van, the owner Hunter Mann is pulled over by police for almost one time in every five days. Interestingly, the police just want to see the car, ask for the decoration and take a photo.
The unique art vehicle Brass van has been appraised as much as $350,000.
Almost dozens of the same questions a day go to the owner Hunter Mann each day; he patiently answers every question.
