Inside Eddie Van Halen's Garage: These Are His Coolest Cars
Inside Eddie Van Halen's Garage: These Are His Coolest Cars
Eddie Van Halen was known as one of America's greatest rockers. But when his band, Van Halen, wasn't selling out venues, Eddie's other great passion was cars. He even featured prominently during the early days of MTV, celebrating hot rods and modified cars of all types. Let's review some of Eddie Van Halen's greatest rides, from the fast and furious—to the downright ridiculous.
Chevy C-1500
The first of Van Halen's eccentric cars is a customized Chevrolet truck. The C-1500 was custom-built by Hot Rods and designed by the legendary Chip Foose.
It featured a billet grille, Corvette rear suspension, and an LT1 engine—covered gorgeously by a deep red paint job inspired by the Frankenstein guitar.
Chevy C-1500 (Cont'd)
While Van Halen's gorgeous Chevy V-1500 was custom-built, its base was a 1988 Chevy C/K, which marked the beginning of the "Sport Truck" boom in the American market. Liking what he saw, Van Halen had Chip Foose create the "Van Hauler" for him. It was hugely popular among rock music fans. So popular that Petersen Publishing Company, who owned Sport Truck magazine, gave away a second truck with the iconic black, white, and red stripes just like Eddie Van Halen's, but without the crazy under-hood mods.
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1970 Chevrolet Nova
Another Chevrolet to feature in Van Halen's collection was a 1970 Chevy Nova. It was built by Jim Bones Fab Shop in California, featuring a carbon fiber trunk and hood, a nine-inch rear differential, and a powerful 454 LSX motor under the hood.
To make it even better, Van Halen painted the entire thing in bright yellow paint.
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1970 Chevrolet Nova (Cont'd)
Chevy Novas are rightly considered a "classic car" by today's standards. Van Halen's suped-up Nova could push 375 horsepower and did 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds. It was also complete with the iconic hood-air intake that defined the Nova. Sales of the Nova greatly increased thanks to Van Halen's ownership.
