Bizarre Boat Is Part Dodge Van, Part Ford Mustang, And All Awesome

It's a rare 1980 Delta Van Cruiser, and you just missed your chance to buy it.

A strange boat with a Dodge van body.

Photo by: Christopher Heffner

Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Jun 15, 2023 at 8:05pm ET

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The contraption you see here isn't a rendering, or even a one-off Frankenstein build for that matter. For a short stretch in the early 1980s, the Delta Van Cruiser was a thing. It's believed just 37 were made, fusing a reproduction Dodge Maxi van body made from fiberglass with an early fox body Ford Mustang four-eye face, all mounted to a 28-foot hull. And the retrotastic white/orange model seen here could be only one of four left in existence.

It was recently posted on the Dodge B100-B150-B200-B250-B350 Van Only Facebook group, where we saw it shared by Christopher Heffner. We had to know more, so we shot him a message through the interweb and were fortunate enough to chat with him on this groovy yacht. It turns out we weren't the only ones seeking his attention.

Gallery: 1980 Delta Van Cruiser

1980 Delta Van Cruiser Exterior

Source: Christopher Heffner

Photo Credits: Christopher Heffner

"I was getting 200 messages every eight hours on it, people wanting to know, unsolicited, if I wanted to sell it," said Heffner in a phone chat with Motor1.com. "And I didn't really know what I was going to do with it!"

Before you ask, it's not for sale. That is, not anymore. Heffner picked up the Delta Van from its previous owner in Kansas where it sat in a field for years. You might say it was in rough shape – he mentions evicting rats and snakes from the inside – but he hauled it back to his own Kansas home and cleaned it up. He posted the photos online, got inundated with messages, and then came a very handsome offer to buy it. This Delta Van Cruiser will soon be headed to its new home in Washington State.

1980 Delta Van Cruiser Interior

1980 Delta Van Cruiser Exterior

Photo Credits: Christopher Heffner

In addition to a good cleaning, Heffner says he fixed the floor in the front as it was beaten and sagging. Beyond that, it's a unique floating flashback to the age of conversion vans with shag carpeting, and yes, this van-boat rocks orange shag in the front. There's no kitchen, but a barbeque grille is mounted at the back for cooking. A small table and sofa are inside, and a cassette toilet is mounted in a pseudo bathroom next to the – wait for it – fireplace. Yes, there's a small wood burner inside, though it's not recommended for use while on the move. And these components are all original to the Delta Van.

Also original is the Volvo V8 engine, which Heffner got running so there's still some life in this party barge. He concedes it still needs quite a bit of work to fully restore, but it's certainly an attention-getter as-is.

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"That vintage orange on the outside, there's something about that color scheme that's just striking people." He said. "I thought it was cool, but I didn't think it would be that damn cool."

Yes, it's that damn cool. Thanks Chris for sharing your story and photos with us.

Source: Christopher Heffner / Facebook

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