1983 GMC Vandura - the Backbone of The A-Team

The black-painted van with the red stripe around and red spoiler on the roof has garnered quite a big fanbase, ever since The A-Team was launched. Originally posed as the 1983 GMC Vandura, the A-Team van is a phenomenal piece of machine that was acclaimed for a lot of time for its simple engineering, robust engine, and reliability. Check out the article to know more about the Vandura.

“I need your help to save another,” said the prime protagonist with an intense yet calm voice, holding a digital compass, while the other person just looked at him assertively without uttering a word, while resting his hands on the steering. Somewhere far away, a group of people was there, clearly proceeding with some 1%er movements, and the boss was yelling, making a conversation with hands up at a person hand-tied standing inside a pile of tires. A distant female voice could be heard, pleading for something. “The rescue that’s coming we fed him to the Rottweilers for about an hour…” said the boss. Carrying a clever laugh, the hand-tied person just mocked the boss for his beliefs and blabbered some unheard words. “You drive?” asked the prime protagonist. The driver floored down the pedal while replying “Anybody I’ve seen sir”. Wheels spinning, leaving a smoke of dust behind the vehicle moved towards the destination through a barren land. “Nobody knew where you were hiding. There was no intel… until now, asshole”, yelled the hand-tied person to the boss. The conversation was going on quite intensely, and so was the scene, and a group member was seen pouring gasoline on the tires to burn the hand-tied person alive. That pleading female voice was now closer, and the person gonna be burnt soon laughingly asked the boss “Pick your ballot”. The boss sensed something wrong, he turned around, the hand-tied person yelled “Adios…”, and the very next moment, there was chaos. A van, a black-painted van with a red stripe on the grille, and a red spoiler on the roof jumped suddenly out of nowhere, leaving everyone baffled, except the hand-tied guy. One after another gunshot was heard, with intense action, and there was nothing but chaos. 

A little bit about the Van

Produced between 1964 and 1996, the 1983 GMC Vandura, in its initial years, was powered by either a flat-4 or flat-6 Chevy engine, with a very basic design, an optional rear window, and no power steering, power brakes, or air conditioning. The 2nd generation (1967-1970) got some visible updates with its curved windshield and an optional longer wheelbase. The 3rd generation, which can be termed from 1971 to 1995, was updated thoroughly with more solid construction with a steering column and brakes borrowed from the C/K series trucks of Chevrolet, truck-style hubs and brakes, and a range of engines - 4.1L I6 to 7.4L V8. The one we got to see in the A-Team belonged to the 3rd generation Vandura. However, compared to the commercial ones available for the general public, that of the A-Team was slightly modified according to the purpose of the scenes, such as the sunroof, which you won’t find in the factory-built ones. 

Why did in the first place the producers of the A-Team choose the GMC Vandura?

Multiple options were available, right? They could choose the Ford Econoline, Dodge RAM, Toyota MasterAce, Nissan Vanette, or if not anything then the Chevy G-Series. Instead, they went to Vandura. Why? Well, we have not spoken to the A-Team people, but considering the scenarios, we have come up with some convincing reasons.

• Recognition 

You see, back in the day, there was almost no one who could not recognize the Vandura. Debuted in 1964, the Vandura was an extremely capable van with a distinct design, and a whole lot of practicality. Not only did it drive well, but the maintenance was also lower than most in the market. Thus featuring one in the series or in the movie is no surprise, as producers always look for ways to cut costs while making a fortune out of it.

• Reliability 

The GMC Vandura, across its three generations, had been extremely reliable, so much so that things won’t fall off even after a hell of torture. We know our fathers and grandpas, right!! These dudes were always ready to venture to somewhere unknown or live their whole life in a van. And for that, they needed a workhorse, which at any cost should not make them stranded on roads. The GMC management was well aware of this fact, and thus built such a beautiful piece of engineering. The vehicle, to be used in the A-Team, had to go through lots of endurance tests, such as the famous jumps, and for that, the producers required one vehicle that could stand the stunts without many problems, and the Vandura ticked all the boxes.

• Ease of Modification

Vehicles of earlier years were of simple engineering, which makes them easy to modify, even today. Present-day vehicles are so complicated that if you mistakenly misplaced one or two components, the whole car may turn into junk. Whatever, the GMC Vandura due to its distinct design, and simple engineering, was quite easy to modify, and thus perfectly fit in the team.

• Affordability and Availability

Priced from $7,590 to $9,831, the 1983 GMC Vandura was quite affordable back in the day, and due to high demand, the van was readily available, used, or new, which was also a notable point to select this van.

• Aesthetics 

This we think is the prime reason to choose Vandura. The aesthetics that the ‘83 Vandura offered. Due to its distinct design language, the Vandura not only easily stood out from the crowd, but also fit perfectly with the motto of the movie, featuring a nostalgic action theme of the US Special Forces. In fact, the GMC Savana, which is now available in 2023, carries the same phenomenon as the Vandura. These GMC vans, whatever the year, look old, and more like the proper vans, that we are used to. The GMC Vandura's retro styling and association with the '80s contributed to this nostalgic appeal. 

While most of the alternatives could tick all the requirements, there were certain reasons not to include those.

• Neither the MasterAce, nor the Vanette, nor the Vanagon carried the distinct presence as the Vandura. Well, Vanagon might do but with the theme, it could not fit. 
• Both Econoline and G-Series shared almost the same distinct visual appeal as the Vandura, but due to some other possible reasons such as branding, reliability, and availability, these two were not selected. 
• Movie makers most of the time prefer a particular automobile manufacturer, and in this case, it was GMC, whose logo particularly stood out whenever the Vandura was there. Similarly, you can find lots, really lots of Aston Martins in the James Bond movies.

  Did the story strike anything? Well, you have guessed it right, (or maybe wrong), we are talking about the opening scene of The A-Team, 80s favorite TV series and the 2010 movie. Amongst all the intense action scenes, in most cases, there was one common character - the 1983 GMC Vandura. While this action series garnered lots of attention, at the backend, that ‘83 Vandura too earned a special spot among fans worldwide. So much so that the original Vandura was auctioned off at certainly a good amount, and those who could not get their hands off built their own A-Team van. 

 Why did in the first place the producers of the A-Team choose the GMC Vandura?

Multiple options were available, right? They could choose the Ford Econoline, Dodge RAM, Toyota MasterAce, Nissan Vanette, or if not anything then the Chevy G-Series. Instead, they went to Vandura. Why? Well, we have not spoken to the A-Team people, but considering the scenarios, we have come up with some convincing reasons.

• Recognition 

You see, back in the day, there was almost no one who could not recognize the Vandura. Debuted in 1964, the Vandura was an extremely capable van with a distinct design, and a whole lot of practicality. Not only did it drive well, but the maintenance was also lower than most in the market. Thus featuring one in the series or in the movie is no surprise, as producers always look for ways to cut costs while making a fortune out of it.

• Reliability 

The GMC Vandura, across its three generations, had been extremely reliable, so much so that things won’t fall off even after a hell of torture. We know our fathers and grandpas, right!! These dudes were always ready to venture to somewhere unknown or live their whole life in a van. And for that, they needed a workhorse, which at any cost should not make them stranded on roads. The GMC management was well aware of this fact, and thus built such a beautiful piece of engineering. The vehicle, to be used in the A-Team, had to go through lots of endurance tests, such as the famous jumps, and for that, the producers required one vehicle that could stand the stunts without many problems, and the Vandura ticked all the boxes.

• Ease of Modification

Vehicles of earlier years were of simple engineering, which makes them easy to modify, even today. Present-day vehicles are so complicated that if you mistakenly misplaced one or two components, the whole car may turn into junk. Whatever, the GMC Vandura due to its distinct design, and simple engineering, was quite easy to modify, and thus perfectly fit in the team.

• Affordability and Availability

Priced from $7,590 to $9,831, the 1983 GMC Vandura was quite affordable back in the day, and due to high demand, the van was readily available, used, or new, which was also a notable point to select this van.

• Aesthetics 

This we think is the prime reason to choose Vandura. The aesthetics that the ‘83 Vandura offered. Due to its distinct design language, the Vandura not only easily stood out from the crowd, but also fit perfectly with the motto of the movie, featuring a nostalgic action theme of the US Special Forces. In fact, the GMC Savana, which is now available in 2023, carries the same phenomenon as the Vandura. These GMC vans, whatever the year, look old, and more like the proper vans, that we are used to. The GMC Vandura's retro styling and association with the '80s contributed to this nostalgic appeal. 

While most of the alternatives could tick all the requirements, there were certain reasons not to include those.

• Neither the MasterAce, nor the Vanette, nor the Vanagon carried the distinct presence as the Vandura. Well, Vanagon might do but with the theme, it could not fit. 
• Both Econoline and G-Series shared almost the same distinct visual appeal as the Vandura, but due to some other possible reasons such as branding, reliability, and availability, these two were not selected. 
• Movie makers most of the time prefer a particular automobile manufacturer, and in this case, it was GMC, whose logo particularly stood out whenever the Vandura was there. Similarly, you can find lots, really lots of Aston Martins in the James Bond movies.

What are the specs of the famous A-Team Vandura?

The Vandura, although directly sourced from the manufacturer, had undergone several modifications to suit the scene requirements. Without the mods, the Vandura was powered by a 5.7L V8, coupled with a 3-speed automatic, crunching 163 hp @ 3800 rpm and 275 lb-ft of torque @ 1600 rpm. This front-engined van, being configured with rear-wheel drive, provided lots of grip over almost any kind of road.

1983 GMC Vandura - The A-Team Van	Specs
Price	$7,590 - $9,831
Powertrain	5.7L V8
Horsepower	167 hp @ 3800 rpm
Torque	260 lb-ft of torque @ 2400 rpm
Seat	4
Transmission	4-speed Automatic
0-60 MPH	7.2
Top Speed	93 mph

Apart from the official specs, there were several mods that were taken into account by the A-Team people. That Black Vandura with a red stripe around also featured a sunroof, which was not originally available. Do you remember the jumps that the van made? Well, if mechanized with the original suspension setup, then after the first take, the Vandura would be paralyzed, thus we assume that mechanically too, the ‘83 Vandura was modified. And if talking about the stock one, then the ‘83 Vandura was mechanized with independent suspension at the front with coil springs and control arms, and a leaf-sprung solid rear axle. Apart from these, the A-Team van also featured a red stripe around the van, a grille guard, a red spoiler and fog lights on the roof, and red rims.

What’s the status today?

As already mentioned, the original A-Team van has been auctioned off in 2021, although the amount is unknown. And those who could not take part built their own A-Team van. Due to the huge success of the A-Team, this particular model year i.e. the 1983 Vandura has been named a classic today, which is still a dream of many to own. So, if you too are one of the fans who want to cherish the golden memories with the ‘83 Vandura, get one for yourself, or for your father; he will love it.