Steingold's Art Van

1975 GMC Panel Van by Ernie Steingold, Burbank, California: "The pride of late Burbank resident, Ernie Steingold, the California Fantasy Van served as the creative outlet and motivation for this hardworking vacuum cleaner repairman. Over the course of ten years, he spent much of his free time locating and attaching more than 5,000 brass items to the van after completely covering it with thousands of coins. Steingold passed away in 1998, leaving behind his second wife, three children, and this extraordinary monument to his creativity and ingenuity. Collection of the Estate of Ernie Steingold." (From the Petersen Automotive Museum.)

Internet correspondant Jim Baldridge adds: "Okay, I have to get this one of my chest. This man drove this "art van" in the city of Burbank for years. I can remember coming home from Burbank High around 1981-1982 and always seeing him drive it around the local area; if you lived in Burbank at the time it was like a normal event. Kinda creepy... and a little bit weird. My older brother and myself would get a great laugh and stare at the overwhelming work that he installed in his labor of love, project, or, simply put, "art van." Do you remember this Van and or the gentleman who drove it around Burbank for years?"

From Internet correspondant Bill Stevens: "Until his death, he lived on Wyoming St. just around the corner from the back of Bret Harte Elementary School. Also, the van can be seen in the opening credits of Steve Martin's L.A. Story."


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