In 1967, the UK government converted seven vans into movie theaters to showcase British technology. The only survivor has been restored and is ready to roll.
When it comes to in-car screen size escalation, the Vintage Mobile Cinema is nothing less than the thermonuclear option. These converted Bedfords were
commissioned by the Ministry of Technology, and fitted with 22 seats and a proper projection booth housed in the steel and Lucite dome above the cabin. In 1974, the fleet was sold off. This is the sole survivor.
Restoration was begun in 2003 after Rob Howell and Nancy-Rose Mills found the Bedford in a field, gutted and rotting. A saga of multiple owners and seven years of work have seen it restored to its former glory and more: The projection equipment has been updated to include a Blu-ray player, a Mordaunt sound system, and an LCD projector.
If you’re one of those lucky bastards who will spend the upcoming weekend at the Goodwood Revival, you can check out the van in action. The rest of us can go visit the project’s website, which chronicles the mobile cinema’s history and restoration in great detail, with tons of pictures.
Photo Credit: Vintage Mobile Cinema