Kustom Classics of Fort Worth completes magic VW bus

Kustom Classics of Fort Worth completes magic VW bus

If there had been Volkswagen buses like this one 35 years ago, I might still be a hippie – beads, bong, bell-bottoms and all.

Some of you may recall this sort of "resto-mod" van I mentioned last January when I wrote about Kustom Classics, a hot-rod shop in Fort Worth opened by former key employees of Unique Performance.

Working out of a 6,000-square-foot shop, partners Bobby Mikus, Gregg Bond and Bill Cate fabricated and built the 1965 VW bus in seven months with the help of a small group of talented employees. They designed and assembled a slick hot-rod chassis for the bus, slipped in a 390-horsepower, LS2 Corvette crate motor and Escalade automatic, and painted it lime green and white.

"It's the only bus I know that will get a two- or three-foot scratch of rubber in second gear," Mr. Mikus said. "It really was one of the most difficult projects we've done because of the midengine configuration and balancing the weight. But it turned out even better than I had thought it would."

The magic bus was loaded onto a transporter two weeks ago and shipped to its owners in – hold on to your bandannas and Jerry Garcia posters – Manhattan. Despite being consigned to a hostile automotive outpost, the $110,000 bus will probably be shown occasionally and is likely to end up in some magazines.

"We're proud of it," Mr. Mikus said. "It was definitely a challenge in the first seven months that we were open."

And here's a jaw-dropping twist: The owners, an affluent couple with young children, plan to use this wonderful street-mauler to go to the beach.

"They have twins, and they needed seats for them and two nannies," Mr. Mikus said.

OK. It sure beats a Volvo. I wonder how they feel about older kids.


Source:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-Autos2_29emp.ART.State.Edition1.42c4f69.html