This Thing Is The Pace Car Of The Zombie Apocalypse

"DailyTurismo" (thedailyturismo) 09/30/2013 at 13:01 • Filed to: Daily Turismo

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The Volkswagen Type 181 was sold as the Kurierwagen in Germany but used the name Thing for the US Market - making the answer to "what is that thing?" a simple "yes." The Thing used a Karmann-Ghia floorpan and various parts from the Beetle, Transporter, etc, but this one was rebuilt with steel, rope and madness.

In the genre of horror movies, there are films that disgust, disturb and surprise the audience with fantastic creatures and skin crawling special effects, but the movies that are arguably the best are those that hide information from the viewer and allow imagination to take over. John Carpenter's 1982 remake of The Thing was a decent expression of this idea, but it pales in comparison to the original The Thing , a 1951 Howard Hawks epic, shot in magnificent black and white.

The original Thing is played by James Arness, and is a giant outer world Frankenstein-esque creature who regenerates limbs like a plant and terrorizes an arctic outpost of scientists (and a few wise cracking '50s babes). Viewers are barely shown the beast and brief glimpses only help to generate more uncertainty, anxiety, etc —if you haven't seen it go pick up a copy from your local video store...wait, do they still have video stores? I haven't left my house since I saw John Carpenter's The Thing in 1982 — it was a really scary film. Today's feature !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is the polar opposite of the movie Thing as it beats a viewer over the head with a rusty cudgel of gruesome horror. Find it in Greensboro, GA currently bidding on ebay for $9,000 with 4 days to go.

The Thing was only planned to be a short term stop gap production vehicle until the NATO shared Europa Jeep was developed. How anyone could expect a bunch of people who routinely riot and stab each other over rival neighborhood soccer games to be able to cooperate to design a mass production light military vehicle is a mystery to me and needless to say the Europa Jeep was a stillborn catastrophe and as a result, more than 50,000 Things were released from the factory.

This type 181 would have originally come with some sort of misery inducing aircooled flat-four designed to incapacitate the enemy with hysterical fits of laughter, suffocate them with oil smoke & drive them mad with its droning exhaust note - truly the modern day equivalent of a Scottish bagpipe brigade. Thankfully this flat-4 was used as campfire fodder at burning-man (magnesium crankcase) and the seller replaced it with a 2.5 liter watercooled flat-4 from a Subaru Legacy that he claims now makes 220 horsepower (stock it makes 175 hp).

The interior is something built specifically for a masochist... or car magazine photo shoot. It certainly looks cool, but the first time you try and put a parking receipt on that webbed dash, you are going to wonder what the builder was thinking. Comfort on the Queen Mary-to-Titanic scale is going to be pegged firmly at 14 April, 1912. The twin fans pointing upward are indeed functional , they cool the radiators, but the external swamp cooler seems a bit silly in a vehicle without windows.

See a better Horrorod to kickoff the 2013 Halloween season? email us here: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Originally posted as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Image credits: ebay, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Party-vi > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 13:03

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This is silly.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 13:03

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A stanced Thing? Whelp, I've seen it all now. Goodbye world.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 13:04

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As much as it is awesome and famous, the EJ25 is a huge red flag.

Head Gaskets?

McMike > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 09/30/2013 at 13:09

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I think the early DOHC 2.5 motors were bad.. the later SOHC ones were a little better IIRC

Meatcoma > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 13:15

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Gets high centered on 1 zombie body that entered through the small opening in the middle of the front bumper.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > McMike 09/30/2013 at 13:22

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Timing belt covers suggest DOHC... Unless I am missing something.

McMike > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 09/30/2013 at 13:28

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I think you're right. That looks like a DOHC.

I defended the SOHC without taking a close look at the photos.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > McMike 09/30/2013 at 13:35

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Ehh, I was partially asleep as well and thought it was an EJ22, so no worries.

Then again, it takes some magic trickery with photoshop to fool otherwise.

pdthedeuce > Meatcoma 09/30/2013 at 13:58

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exactly...too low for zombie mushing.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 13:58

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So close, yet so far.

Why would you decorate it that way, and then lower it?

It should be Baja-ized, and ride higher in the back, if anything.

And the roof rack being so low means that zombies climbing on top are that much closer to you, and it is that much slower to get into if trying to evade them.

So much potential for awesomeness, betrayed by stupid decisions to over-chop, and go the wrong way with ride height.

anacanapana > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:19

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isnewton > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:20

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Those seats don't look heated...

phydeaux > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:24

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It's Rusty McSlammington in VW Thing form!

DailyTurismo > Meatcoma 09/30/2013 at 14:27

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It is riding on airbags, so perhaps it could be raised to a reasonable height for zombie-bogging.

ataraxia > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:28

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This Thing has been on eBay at least once in the past-not sure if it sold or if the seller took it down. It was up around $14k last time, IIRC.

Should be raised up-not slammed-that's where I think this car goes wrong.

Brian, The Life of > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:36

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When great ideas collide with terrible ideas, you get Things like this.

Brian, The Life of > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:36

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When great ideas collide with terrible ideas, you get Things like this.

DailyTurismo > ataraxia 09/30/2013 at 14:36

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Seller looks to have recently dropped the reserve and says it will sell this time. Remember that ebay motors sales are non-binding, so cars may sell but the seller/buyer can back out with zero ramifications.

JayHova > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:42

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Even if you are able to rise it to driveable heights: 220 horses at the rear axle of a VW thing? If the zombies won't kill you, the oversteer will.

In case of Zombie, i'd rather take the stock Subaru Legacy.

The Biebster's got a P71 (Formerly not Justin Bieber) > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:49

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I do not like it.

driversion > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:52

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Unless that motor has a turbo hiding in there, ain't no way it's making 220hp. EJ25 makes 165 horsepower stock on a good day. I don't think that engine has seen a good day in quite some time.

ataraxia > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:53

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Yeah, selling cars on eBay is too sketchy...the reserve appears to still be on as the listing shows 'reserve not met' but that could also be a glitch on eBay's side.

GrauGeist > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 14:54

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Thing?

More like slammed civilian Kubelwagen

Coalman > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 09/30/2013 at 15:02

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This was my first thought as well. EJ22 would have been a better and more reliable candidate. Haven't looked at the listing, but possibly the owner put in the newer more updated Head Gaskets before cramming it in there.

Never heard of anyone putting a Subie engine into any Beetle platform before. Even at the local VW Shows. Makes my gears start to grind about the Hard Top I have that needs restoration. Was originally thinking of putting in an 80's or 90's era VW Diesel and Baja-ing the back out to make it fit easily if need be.

ChubbsMotolo > GrauGeist 09/30/2013 at 15:03

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The Thing was after the Kubelwagen, and just a civilian version of the Type181, the successor to it, in fact.

GrauGeist > ChubbsMotolo 09/30/2013 at 15:05

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Yup, exactly so - I was just shorthanding. Thanks for filling in the detail.

rabbitman > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 15:09

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this can either go in front or behind for clean up/ path clearing purposes.

edit I like pictures better then links.

Plow truck or preparing for zombie apocalypse/ social collapse?

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Smorgasborg > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/30/2013 at 15:18

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It almost looks less stanced and more "stepped on"

David E. Davis > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 15:20

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The ropes themselves are worth $900 bra!

ChubbsMotolo > GrauGeist 09/30/2013 at 15:30

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I apologize if I sounded like a dick :O I'm actually working on 2 Things right now, so I just had to.

HateBox > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 15:31

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Bad-assery on 4 wheels. I love it.

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 15:54

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I like it-

simon_C > Coalman 09/30/2013 at 15:55

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Seriously? its been a really popular swap since the mid 90s.

kenhitch > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 16:02

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WOO

dktarditi > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 16:05

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I love the Thing [Type 181 Safari], and am a former owner of one... but seriously, they better be "slow walk zombies" if you're going to use that as a platform!

drucifer > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 09/30/2013 at 16:07

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Not so much "stanced" as it is "slammed" (or lowered). Most stanced cars make their overly large wheels fit on lowered suspension by adding (sometimes large amounts) camber to their car to tuck the wheels. Lowered cars generally just add lowering springs and retain mostly stock alignment. So please, don't call this car stanced.

kenhitch > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 16:13

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WOO

rustyshackleford > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 16:17

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dude i have totally seen this car by my work, i have pics of it on my phone cuz i couldnt figure out what it was!! crazy to see it on here haha.

rustyshackleford > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 16:17

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dude i have totally seen this car by my work, i have pics of it on my phone cuz i couldnt figure out what it was!! crazy to see it on here haha.

SgtHop > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 09/30/2013 at 16:18

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They only have to be replaced once, around 125k is where they usually fail. Since the issue with them, they've been fixed and are not really a problem, as I have seen many Subarus with the EJ25 in them with 250+k. I wouldn't really call it unreliable.

SgtHop > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 09/30/2013 at 16:19

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Loldoublepost.

DailyTurismo > rustyshackleford 09/30/2013 at 16:26

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Post some pics of it at normal ride height if you have them. thx

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > drucifer 09/30/2013 at 16:40

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Jeez, sorry I offended you bro. What if I call it a low rider? Got a nit to pic then?

Spiranhas > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 17:52

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Turbo Bacon > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 20:43

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AC unit seems like maybe not needed. Mesh everything an all.

Turbo Bacon > DailyTurismo 09/30/2013 at 20:43

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AC unit seems like maybe not needed. Mesh everything an all.

GrauGeist > ChubbsMotolo 09/30/2013 at 20:50

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It's all good, all good.

GrauGeist > ChubbsMotolo 09/30/2013 at 20:51

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All good, no problems.

drucifer > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 10/02/2013 at 13:20

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Sorry didn't mean to come off sounding offended at all. I've never been too keen on the whole stanced revolution, what with its insane tire stretching and massive amounts of camber to fit overly large wheels on Civics, GTi's, etc. Lowriders still bother me a bit, just not as much. Yet, there is something about this rat rod?/lowrider? that just appeals to my inner sense; could be the whole VW aspect since I love classic German iron.

Jerbun > DailyTurismo 10/02/2013 at 13:20

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Mesh seats did not work out too well for the guy in Jurassic Park 2.