When in high school I used to hang around with a guy who drove a Checker Marathon - That would have been a GREAT car for the drive in movies!

The 1970 Ford Country Squire Wagon I used to have was perfect for the drive-in. We would always be among the first to arrive. Always parked in the same space. I knew exactly where to park to get the proper angle. Once parked, I would fold up the rear view mirror all the way. Then we would hop in back. The middle and back seats were folded down, the entire back was done in shag carpeting. There was a 4" X 3" piece of plywood at the back end with a block of wood under the back end of it forming a ramp. We could lie back there with a pair of pillows, the screen filling the windscreen...a perfect view.

The advent of bucket seats and centre consoles is a big disadvantage to the fun to be had at the drive in. I had a lay back front bench seat in an old Holden back in the early seventies.

I once heard of a chap who went to the drive in, didn't like the movie, so he slashed the seats.

Had a Holden Sandman Ute (for our American cousins essentially the 1969 Chevrolet El Camino SS but way sexier – Aussies do it better) and the back overcame the bucket seats and gear stick perceived handicap. Got our eldest daughter to prove that. Remember a politician of the day accusing the Holden Sandman panel van Ute (for our American cousins essentially the 1969 Chevrolet El Camino SS but with the back enclosed like an station/estate wagon) and drive-in movies for being responsible for the surge in unmarried mothers.

A few years later

The panel van

Oh Yeah had one of those HQ panel vans, not a sandman but a nice V8 all decked out in the back with carpet and mattress, rock up park in reverse, open the tailgate and lie back, bliss.

Before that I had a Myers Manx, take the top off and cruise to the nearest drive in.

Before that was a 1968 Holden HK Monaro, one of the very first HK Monaros, only a 186 but hey good to hot up.

The absolute best, IMHO, was my buddies van. Park it around backwards, pull out the beanbag chairs, park in the back row and you could do what you want. A bed in the back of the van was a plus, and you could hide a couple other friends under the bed and not pay for them! A cooler full of brew and you didn't really care what was on the screen. Towards the demise of our local drive in, they started to hand out condoms, do you think they knew what was really going on?

A Hearse Surf Wagon Fit for Abby Sciuto(NCIS) back before Goth was Goth

My friend Tom had a tricked-out high top roof hearse. He built a special double-wide coffin for the back. This was Virginia Beach and he had a removable rack for surfboards in the coffin most of the time. The back end of the coffin could be easily removed for convenient access to the boards. The hearse had a custom power system which could run its beach blaster sound system all day long without fading. Like your van trick, Tom also would back up the drive-in rise, sit in the coffin with his date and enjoy. It was a long time ago and I cannot remember precisely all the details of the hearse. I do seem to recall some amazing wave illustrations Tom painted on the sides.

I just looked Tom up on the web and found that he is still a beach presence and has put his illustration skills to good use. It is heart warming to find an old friend from so long ago still flourishing and still defining life on his own terms. Way to go, Tom !

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thewildotter

Two come to mind, one from my youth, another from my childhood.

When I was young in the 60s my grandparents had a Nash Rambler with a folding front seat back. With the seat back down it was one huge cushioned area for watching movies together.

In my teens a friend had an early 70s Ford LTD. We could sneak 3 guys and a cooler of beverage in to the drive-in in the trunk. Today it would hold plenty of comfy lawn chairs.