'American Pickers' hosts present Aerosmith with long-lost tour van: Watch
Last summer, the hosts of the History Channel series American Pickers revealed that they had stumbled upon Aerosmith’s original tour van, dating back to the early ’70s. Now, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band has purchased the restored van for use in their Las Vegas residency, as seen in the latest episode of the TV show.
The 1964 American Harvester Metro van was found crumbling away in the woods behind a farm in Chesterfield, Massachusetts, and its authenticity was confirmed by Ray Tabano, the band’s original rhythm guitarist. The American Pickers collectors paid $25,000 for the van, with host Mike Wolfe calling it “one of the biggest and most iconic pieces of rock ‘n’ roll history.”
In a six-minute clip from Monday night’s show (watch below), Wolfe and co-hosts Frank Fritz and Danielle Colby Cushman are seen presenting the restored van — complete with some authentic wear and tear — to Aerosmith in Las Vegas
Guitarist Joe Perry commented, “You guys did such a great job making it look like it did then, because this is the kind of wear that was on it”, after which singer Steven Tyler jumped in the driver’s seat and honked the horn.
Wolfe went on to explain how they tried to keep as much of the 1964 van in tact, but had to use a donor van to complete the project, since much of the original vehicle was beyond repair.
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“To find the damn thing, and bring it to us, what a handoff,” said Tyler. Meanwhile, Perry added that once their Vegas residency is done, he hopes the van will eventually end up at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland.
Aerosmith are bringing their Vegas show to the East Coast for select dates in August, before returning to Sin City for more residency shows in the fall.
American Pickers hosts present Aerosmith with long-lost tour van: Watch
Spencer Kaufman
