Next up in our intro series is the van that stole our hearts— this is Tezarae, or Tez for short. . She’s a 1964 Clark Cortez, and yes she still has her original slant 6 engine. She’s made by the Clark forklift company, of steel, and weighs 4 tons/ 8,000 pounds. She’s a 4 speed manual, and tops out at 55 mph on the very best flattest to downhill roads. . We found her on an old school classified site for Cortezes, and booked a one way flight to Portland (from SF) to see her, test drive her, and ultimately buy her and bring her back to SF. We then spent 6 months re-doing her interior, ripping out everything down to the metal and re-insulating, making her brighter and cozier, and adding solar, new plumbing and a new fresh water tank, a larger bed, and plentiful storage. Since then, we’ve driven her over 14k miles. We know her quirks (she has a choke and you have to start her in a very particular way). We know what sounds she makes and how to diagnose issues. She’s our trusty steed. . We have an old rig and when we drive that means our top speed is 55 on a perfect road. On a less-than-perfect road we feel every. single. bump. thanks to our lightweight truck tires and non-modern suspension. . One game we play while driving is to talk about which state we’ve been to with the worst roads. So far for us it’s definitely Arizona. What about you? What state has the worst roads in your memory? . #thevanproject #vanlifers #vanlifeexplorers #vanlifestyle #vanlifer #vanlifemovement #vanlifedistrict #vanlifejournal #campervanlife #campervanculture #campervans #rovamagazine (at Trona Pinnacles)
