Without a doubt, one of the goofiest and most interesting cars produced in the last 50 years might be the Volkswagen Thing. Originally designed for the German Army in the ’60s, it shared the same chassis as the VW Bus. It was marketed towards younger adults, but it became a failure for Volkswagen, with only 20,000 units imported by the last year of ’74 as Americans didn’t really want this weird looking car that didn’t have much going for it. However, the VW Thing went on to become this weird car that was interesting enough to become collectible. So, what do you do with a car shaped like a corrugated shipping container and a dumpster? Turning it into a prerunner is the only answer if you are Jeff McCarthy. While this isn’t the first Baja Thing we have seen, it may be the most insane Thing we have seen on Race Dezert.
Just a few years ago, we featured Jeff’s VW Baja Bug, dubbed the “Baja Bandito.” This build allowed him to cut his teeth and fine tune his fabrication skills. As time went on, Jeff wanted to redo everything and found himself in a situation that led him to part ways with the Baja Bandito and start fresh. What does starting fresh mean? Taking a running and driving 1974 Volkswagen Thing and transforming it into a prerunner with the performance of a dual-sport Class 1 Buggy with four doors.
This Thing has the attention to detail that makes you understand the value of patience, as it took Jeff two and a half years to finish the build. The main ethos behind it was that it had to have four seats and maintain the essence of a Thing. When Volkswagen started marketing the car to American buyers, they introduced it as a utilitarian do-it-all car, they even called it a “dune buggy” in many of their ads. It is fair to say this Thing is taking what Volkswagen set out to do: be a buggy and smash whoops in the desert with a V8 pushing 423 horsepower to the wheels. Ok, I added that last part, but that doesn’t mean the guys in charge of Volkswagen back then wouldn’t be stoked about this level of craftsmanship and detail.
Jake Encinas at Pinhead Fabrication opened up his shop to Jeff to get to work building the chassis from the ground up to fit a stock 1974 Thing body on it, resulting in a fully TIG-welded Chromoly chassis. While only the suspension components were designed in CAD, the rest of the design was dreamt up by Jeff.
Up front, the car sits on a high clearance spindle with 2.5 bypass King Racing shocks and 2.0 coil-overs, providing 20″ of wheel travel. In the rear, there are 3.0 bypass and 2.5 coil-overs, resulting in 21″ of wheel travel.
Powering this Thing is a Moruzzi GM LS3 mated to a four-speed sequential transmission with 934 CV axles, putting down 650 HP at the crank and 424 HP down to the 35″ BF Goodrich tires and Method Race Wheels.
One of the most impressive feats of this build is the attention to detail that Jeff put in, from the custom tinwork on the front hood that was stretched 8″ and widened 3″ to maintain the look of the Thing. The details don’t stop there; upon further inspection, you can see the mil-spec wiring and the custom hardline plumbing of the Wilwood brakes and radiator lines. Even seeing the factory intake vent being utilized to cover the shocks; while it doesn’t serve a purpose anymore, it pays homage to the original Thing.
When building race cars, often aesthetics and comfort take a back seat in the priority level, but when building prerunners, function and form must coexist with each other, and the Thing is no exception. From the leather-wrapped dash and custom cup holders to the switches, the interior has a bespoke finish matching the tan and tweed PRP seats. Even the low door bars allow full use of the factory doors, and there are cup holders in the back seats as well.
Jeff McCarthy’s transformation of the Volkswagen Thing into a prerunner showcases not only what is possible creatively but how far he has come from first building his Baja Bug. With attention to detail, a powerful engine, and a blend of aesthetics and functionality, this quirky vehicle has become an exceptional buggy ready for anything the desert has to throw at it. This Thing got the Baja treatment, and we love it.
Chassis: 1974 Volkswagen Thing Body Tube Chassis
Weight: 3100lbs
Engine: Moruzzi LS3 Holly HP
Wiring: Mikes Wire Tech
Transmission: Weddle Sequential 4-Speed
Cooling: CBR Coolers
Exhaust: Custom 8 into 1
Brakes: Wilwood
Fuel Cell: 23 Gallon
Tires: 35″ BF Goodrich
Wheels: 17″ Method Race Wheels
Front Suspension: 20″ travel
Rear Suspension: 21″ travel
Shocks: Front 2.5 King Racing Shocks bypass with 2.0 Coilover
Shocks: Rear 3.0 King Racing Shocks bypass with 2.5 Coilover
Seats: PRP Seats and Harness
Steering: Howe ram assist
Lights: Baja Designs
Communication: PCI Race Radios
GPS: Lowrance
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