dWRENCHED SPECIAL

 The short bus...  Ron Berry style with a Hot Wheels twist :)

     Ron is an inventor, car designer, engineer, all in one. And it looks that even at 68 years old he's still building awesome rides.
            "I still work twelve to fourteen hours a day - even on weekends" he says.
His latest build finished in 2014, Surf Seeker, is a Hot Wheels cartoonish custom that just makes me giggle ...

   It started of as an VW Type 2 bus from 1965. And as you can see, lots of mods have been done to it. Starting with shortening the wheelbase from the 2.64meters (stock lenght) to 1.83 meters. Body structure was also modded, the metal body and the interior. Wood inserts inside on the windows area, all the way. And don't get me wrong, I love the two-tone paint scheme and all the chrome, but man... bare metal, Surf Seeker looked like a BEAST. No side doors so the driver enters through the front, custom made door and for ''passenger(s)'' there's a central one on the right side.

    Besides the upholstery, chrome and paint, everything was done by Ron.
 The Volkswagen boxer engine makes about 200 hp's now, thanks to a compressor, Even the engine was chromed to the last nut. Nuts !
And here's another crazy insight; the big cool looking headlights have some very unusual buckets... Instead of buying some very expensive chromed buckets from the car parts shop, Ron used salad bowls. Yeah, salad bowls !

 "Special versions cost in stores around hundreds of dollars, I paid six dollars for my salad bowls" -he says.

     This is the second time when Ron goes for a cartoonish looking approach on a car. ''Shorebreak'' was the first go, built back in 2007 (posted above in blue). Although many people weren't prepped to embrace this 1:1 scale hot wheels car back then, things changed with Surf Seeker. It gains good vibes and lots of wows all over it's presented. 

     The set of pictures posted above were taken at the Grand National Roadster show from this year (photos by Jesse Bowers via Just a Car Guy, btw) . 

      The whole paint scheme and the overall look makes you wonder if Surf Seeker really goes. Well, it does. and it sounds uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhh mamma !