Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong used to roll around in this vintage surf rig. You could (have) too if you had $35k lying around. Photo: Trademe.co.NZ/YouTube
Tucked far away somewhere in New Zealand, there’s a 1961 Chevy Greenbrier for sale. Or at least it was for sale. But this isn’t your average time machine. Apparently, the mint condition vintage van was once owned by Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. There is documentation to prove it.
Almost as interesting as the vehicle’s history is the fact that its current owner — a car buff from the northern shore of New Zealand — acquired it by total accident. Reports indicate the van changed hands last year after one click too many on the Kiwi-based auction website TradeMe.co.nz. After getting more than what he originally bargained for, the owner has now come to the end of his Boulevard of Broken Dreams and put the van back on the block. As of this post, the auction has been closed at it’s minimum bid of $35,000, but whether or not a buyer has been found isn’t specified. Who knows, maybe it’s going back up for auction soon enough?
Some specs on the van as described by the owner include:
-It has a rear engine 2.4-liter, air-cooled flat-six (boxer) engine, coupled to a two-speed power glide transmission, specifications say 80 hp. It sounds great with a twin exhaust system.
-The engine burns no oil and the transmission works beautifully.
-70,000 miles on the clock, but its accuracy is unlikely.
-Work has recently been carried out on the van, including mechanical and cosmetic repairs to a standard that I am now happy to let it go.
-“GRNDAY” personalized plates are included.
And if one’s not down to keep the vehicle’s surfboard-hauling roots intact, the owner suggests that it “would make an awesome coffee vending van (double opening side and rear doors), a camper or passenger van with bench seats fitted (will need certification for extra seating).”
Not sure the caffeinated option fits with the punk rock pedigree. The van has come a long way from its time in Central California with Armstrong and crew looking for waves or maybe just a spot to crowd surf.
