Vans & Trucks - Magazine Covers 1975 to 1987

OVERVIEW:
Vans & Trucks was published by RPM Sales Corp in Northport and later Scarsdale, NY. The editor and publisher was Phil Engeldrum, who had previously started Super Stockers, High Performance Stockers and Chevy Power magazines.

This magazine was part of the "van craze" that was first featured in Hot Rod in the early 1970s. However, a slew of magazines emerged in the mid-1970s to cover this fad, and Engeldrum was an early entrant.

The magazine had equal parts content with both feature vans and how-to tips. The how-to articles covered all aspects of what you need to customize a van -- interiors, painting, air-brushing, sound systems, glass etching, sinks, refrigerators and bubble windows. It also featured Engeldrum's biting humor such as the recurring department entitled "Gossip, Rumors and Outright Lies!"

In 1981, the publisher was listed as Arthur B. Fartz. This is likely an inside joke by Mr. Engledrum, as the business entity name was unchanged. The title was then owned by Jim Clark with the September, 1982 issue. Todd Kaho came on as editor in March, 1983, and Mr. Kaho must have become a co-owner since the business name changed to Clark-Kaho Media Inc with the September, 1983 issue. The magazine continued through December, 1987.

The van craze ended in about 1979, and that is when most dedicated van magazines ended. However, this title survived another decade likely because it covered a broader range of light-duty vehicles.

The table of contents, if available, can be seen by clicking on the icon.

PUBLICATION DATA:
The publisher provided net paid circulation data to Oxbridge Communication's compendium, The Standard Periodical Directory from 1988 to 1990. Reported circulation was consistently 120,000 print issues annually.

CONTENT COMPLETENESS:
The magazines were numbered sequentially, and there were 79 issues printed from June, 1975 through December, 1987. Cover images are complete except for 7/85.

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