We’re pretty sure having a van in this condition is a sure-fire way of getting yourself pulled over by Old Bill, but some innovative vehicle wrappers have pulled out all the strops with a “Rusty” Volkswagen Caddy at the National Association of Police Fleet Managers’ Conference (NAPFM).
Earlier this month, the show in Telford got an unexpectedly rotten reveal of the rust wrapped Caddy van.
Despite its mucky brown looks, the van’s bright shining, immaculate alloy wheels are a dead giveaway that all is not as it first seems for this small van.
Bluelite Graphics, a Sussex-based vehicle wrapper, wanted to do something that would catch the attention of the conference goers – needless to say if it were on the streets it would certainly turn the heads of any passing traffic cop. They have been wrapping police, fire and ambulance vehicles for more than 30 years and apparently also helped develop the original battenburg livery.
Although wrapped in vinyl, people still couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing. Apparently by the end of the show the van was also covered in fingerprints, rather than rust, as showgoers felt the urge to touch the rusty van to make sure it was a hoax.
While definitely not illegal to wrap your work vehicle in rust, it’s perhaps not the best advertisement for your business. Although a great conversation piece.
Staying on the right side of the law is hard enough, especially when speed limits are different in vans, so keeping the beady eye of the law off your van is probably for the best.
Maybe a rust wrapped van would make a good deterrent against unwanted attention from would-be criminals, though.
One thing is for certain, if you see a van with a real-life rust problem like this van then be sure to avoid it. Rusting vans can be a huge problem, particularly with older models, and few will be as obvious as this one.
It’s a good idea to read out need to know facts about buying a used van at an auction if you’re thinking of picking up a bargain van, as rust comes as a pretty high priority of things to look out for.
