The van ... possibly the most versatile piece of transportation man has ever crafted. We've seen vans do hard work as cozy mobile living quarters for man and dog, four-wheeled offices, rolling toolboxes, off-road ramblers and even motorized raw bars – and that's just in the past two months. Now Vauxhall shows a van that drips elbow grease all week at the job site before getting its weekend kicks racing motorcycles.
Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles has designed two motorcycle-hauling concept vans to celebrate the commercial vehicle partnership with the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship (BSB) it announced last week. The concept conversions turn Vauxhall's Vivaro and Movano vans into functional racing support vehicles.
The first Race Van Concept puts the Vivaro panel van on double duty with a flexible cargo area installed by the in-vehicle storage experts at Sortimo UK. The series of racks, folding shelves and workstation units can be rearranged and removed as needed for work or play.
Vauxhall imagines the van serving as a portable workshop in support of any number of trades, using its racks, shelves and drawers to hold tools, gear and other necessities of the trade. But when quittin' time comes on Friday, the van's storage equipment shuffles around to fit a bike, held in place with a BikeTek wheel chock with quick release base plate, paddock stands, fuel, spare tires, a ramp and other motorcycle gear.
More than a simple gear mule, the Vivaro race concept is also a comfy race day lounge, offering a mini-fridge, microwave, fold-down bench seat and 32-in TV. A shore power hookup keeps everything fired up, and LEDs keeps it visible. We hope those appliances are designed for quick removal, or that flat screen or microwave might be in trouble come Monday morning should it get in the path of a boiler or hunk of lumber on its way in or out the load doors.
The Vivaro is powered by a 143-hp biturbo S/S engine. It wears a special exterior livery showing the Vauxhall Griffin racing a bike, done up by vehicle graphic company Motor Mode.
For those that want a dedicated race day van, Vauxhall presents the Movano Race Van Concept. This van includes many of the same types of storage systems as the Vivaro, only mounted in a permanent configuration for motorcycle racing. A workbench on the driver's side offers space to work inside the van, and a sided Fiamma awning deploys to create a sheltered work area outside. In addition to a fold-down seat, refrigerator and microwave, the Movano concept gets a wash basin and a larger 40-in TV. It's powered by a 128-hp 2.3-liter engine and shares the Vivaro's ridin' Griffin look.
Both race van concepts will debut at the BSB opener this weekend at Donington Park. They will also travel to the other UK BSB races this season.
Source: Vauxhall
