Dover Street Van

Overview

Produced by the Dover-Picard Corporation, the 1971 Street Van, sometimes known as the GrooVan, is a fictional vehicle in the Interstate '76 series that mimics popular American-style full-size vans such as the Dodge Ram Van (more specifically, it appears to be modeled after the "Street Van" variant of the B-Series sold during the 70s). It is an automobile designed for a wide variety of uses, both commercial and non-commercial, and this is reflected in-game with police van and ice cream truck versions in addition to its standard passenger variants. When compared to the numerous muscle cars present in Interstate '76, it is an awkward vehicle that isn't ideally suited to the task of vehicular combat. Its speed, maneuverability, and acceleration all leave something to be desired, however it is fairly durable, and comes standard with a top mount that can easily house a turret, and two drop mounts to discourage more nimble attackers from tailing it. These facts don't quite make up for the vehicle's overall sluggishness, though, as faster cars are capable of running circles around it.

A distinctive olive drab Street Van with a yellow stripe was driven by Skeeter during the story mode of Interstate '76, known as T.R.I.P. He acted during this time as the mechanic for Groove Champion and Taurus (and formerly for Groove's sister, Jade), and for the most part his van was kept out of combat, presumably being used to collect salvage and store the various tools he needed for repair work. Due to its coloration and the extra equipment attached to its roof, it is not unlikely that it was used by some manner of utility company prior to the events of the game. For unknown reasons, Skeeter's van was not selectable in Melee mode in the original game (though other versions of the Street Van were), and was not added until the release of the Nitro Pack. Its inclusion was more than simply cosmetic, as Skeeter's Street Van is notable for having a mount configuration that differs significantly from the default model.