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'Man Caves' to Roll in Roush Propane E-350

Who says a rolling hardware store dedicated to all things male can't be environmentally sensitive?

"Man Caves" is the longest-running and top rated build show on DIY Network. Now, as they enter their seventh season of transforming a room or garage into one man's dream, they will be rolling to their projects in a liquid propane-powered Ford E-350 van from Livonia's Roush Industries.

The van carries on board most of the materials needed in the transformation from dingy space to testosterone palace. Thanks to Knapheide and Sortimo, there are a variety of organizational systems which allow the hosts, contractor Jason Cameron and former NFL great Tony "The Goose" Siragusa, to quickly and efficiently complete the projects at hand.

"Jack Roush has cars racing on TV nearly every weekend, but this will mark the first time that a Roush liquid propane-powered van will have a starring role on television," said Joe Thompson, executive vice-president and general manager of Roush. "'Man Caves' is a program that has a very dedicated audience and it's going to be exciting to have a Roush vehicle play a role in the space transformations they have planned for this season."

The Roush liquid propane-powered E-350 will help clean up the environment and introduce a "green" presence to the half-hour program. Propane burns cleaner than gasoline or diesel, with up to 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, up to 60 percent less carbon monoxide, 24 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and fewer particulate emissions when compared to gasoline. Propane also plays a strong role in lowering our national dependence on foreign oil as 90 percent of the propane used today comes from domestic sources of production.

The Knapheide Utility Vehicle mounted on the back of the Roush propane E-350 includes a number of Sortimo S-, M-, and T-Boxxes to organize the tools and small parts it carries, many with adjustable shelves and dividers for simple reconfiguration depending on the project requirements. The cargo area has retention poles to hold large parts and sheet material, as well as a bed slide to assist in loading heavy equipment or parts. This allows the "Man Caves" crew to be most efficient from the truck to the work site.

"We are looking forward to having a 'Man Caves'-size rolling tool box for the biggest season yet of 'Man Caves.' This thing is functional and just amazing," said an enthusiastic Cameron, co-host of the show, upon seeing the new propane-powered van for the first time.

"Building the 'Man Caves' work van is a perfect opportunity to show off the organizational capabilities of the Roush/Knapheide Utility Vehicle," said Chris Weiss, Knapheide vice-president of engineering. "Our partnership with Roush helps us provide efficient work solutions for our contractor customers with the advantage of using green technology like liquid propane."

Complete details on the Roush propane offerings can be found online at www.SwitchToPropane.com or by calling 800-59-Roush (597-6874),

To get a look behind the scenes at what goes on at Roush and how the vehicles are designed, manufactured and produced, visit www.RoushTV.com. For more information see your local Roush dealer or visit www.Roushperformance.com.

(c) 2010, WWJ Newsradio 950. All rights reserved.

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