I have learned that it’s possible to learn something exists and immediately have it occupy a space in your brain which will almost certainly perish if I don’t have it. I am Veruca Salt and this hybrid van/snow machine is my oompa loompa, if I don’t get it now I may throw a fit that will end in bloodshed. When the snow starts to fly I begin to wonder why I’ve never owned any cars with tracks and skis. This is my opportunity, that is, unless one of you sneaks in and buys it out from under me. This Chevrolet G20 on a Bombardier snowcat chassis is calling to me from the depths of Facebook Marketplace, and fittingly I learned about its existence from a tweet.
The van this monster is based on was built in 1993, and retains small block Chevrolet V8 power. This high-roof van was later converted to haul a wheel chair as the back barn doors open to reveal a high-clearance wheel chair lift. After its serviceable life in that capacity, it was jacked up and fitted to a set of tank tracks with steering skis at the front. I’d love to know more about this van’s life progression, because it must have a fascinating story.
These tank tracks look pretty intense and should serve to get through or over just about any obstacle you could throw at it. The van doesn’t appear to have much in the way of suspension, so I wouldn’t recommend taking it off any sweet jumps, but it can probably crawl with the best of them. Throw a big snow shaper blade on the front of this thing and you could probably build a pretty sick set of ski jumps or moguls.
If you need a vehicle to haul a bunch of stuff up and over a snow-covered mountain, this is probably your best bet. It won’t get there quickly, but it’ll almost certainly get there. The seller says “it runs and everything works” which is encouraging, and the listing includes video of the vehicle driving. Do you think this thing would make it on a nice long journey up to the Arctic Circle? That’s what I’d want to do with it, personally. I’m not sure why, but I do.
In case you want to swoop in and buy it before I do, it’s on Facebook Marketplace in Merrill, Oregon. It’d take me a few days to get there, so you might have an advantage on me if you’re closer. They’re asking $18,000 for this contraption which seems like it might be a pretty fair price. I don’t know, there aren’t a lot of comps for a 1993 Chevrolet G20 wheel chair van on a snow cat chassis.