Van Halen wasn't afraid to take it on the racetrack and turn in some seriously impressive lap times. He even had the suspension set up for racing by legendary Porsche tuners BBI Autosport. As it turns out, Eddie Van Halen was multi-talented.
Photo via Audi
When that Car and Driver article was written, he owned the Miura, the 911 GT3 RS, and a pair of Audi R8s --- one a V8, the other a V10. He also appreciated older American cars, too.
He's owned a 1947 Dodge flatbed truck, and at one point, he owned a pair of Chevy Nomad wagons that even had their own customized, matching guitars. As far as we know, neither one of those guitars ever replaced the legendary Frankenstrat.
Image via Matt York/Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Back in the early '90s, Van Halen partnered with Sport Truck magazine and legendary customized Boyd Coddington to build the coolest street truck of all time, the Van Hauler. The red GMT400 pickup featured black and white stripes that matched (arguably) the most famous guitar of all time.
In fact, two trucks were built, with Eddie keeping one and the other being given away. Countless more were built when Testors issued a 1:24 scale replica of the truck. According to Van Halen News Desk, Eddie kept the more subdued-looking one.
Image Via Matt York/Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
Eddie Van Halen owned some truly great cars, and he leaves a lasting legacy for enthusiasts like us. Van Halen has been the unofficial soundtrack of cruising, burnouts, and stoplight drags for over four decades, and we don't see that stopping any time soon. And the cradle will rock.
We thank Motorious for the reprint permission.