Starting in the 1961 model year with the Ford/Mercury Econoline and continuing through the end of the decade, each of the Detroit Big Three sold a forward-control, midengine small delivery van, ideal for tight loading docks in cramped alleys but not so great for highway driving. Chrysler had the Dodge/Fargo A100, and The General sold both Chevy-badged Sportvans and GMC-badged Handi-Vans. I've owned two of these three types and driven the third, and they were all more or less the same thing: bouncy steel boxes with the driver's nose against the windshield, scary handling characteristics and load capacity well beyond what anyone would consider reasonable. Here's GMC's argument that the Handi-Van was better than the competition.
If you wanted more muscle, there was the 140-horse straight-six. V8s were available in the Handi-Van starting in 1967.
The difference between the Handi-Van and those lesser FC vans was simple: GMCs are built, sold and serviced by truck people. Not that Ford and Dodge didn't have plenty of truck people, but you look for advantages where you can find them.
1965 GMC Handi-Van magazine advertisement
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