Cartoon-Inspired Surf Seeker Is One of the Best Customs You'll See: Walmart for the Win - autoevolution

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Photo: MyClassicCarTV / YouTube Screenshot

While this next one could be considered old news to some, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring to light the Surf Seeker, a very unique and obviously custom spin on the VW buses of the surfing era.

Ladies and gents, forget everything you thought you knew about the classic VW buses we grew up worshiping and let another deity take their place. Don't worry; it's still a VW, sort of, and it's still a bus, but obviously, on an entirely different level. So, what the heck are we looking at, and how did we get here?

Well, the Surf Seeker's life began in the hands of none other than good retired Ron Berry from Utah. As for what Ron has been a master of, I have no idea, but this gentleman has a love and knack for crafting some rather fine examples of road-worthy works of art. He's also been at it for over 50 years. One other machine we see in the videos below is a luscious Woody, a story for another time.

Now, to call the Surf Seeker a VW bus would be a serious understatement and a rather untrue comment. Why? Simple because the only feature that's actually VW is the suspension. Everything else is nothing more than Ron's touch, and while I'm not the most automotive-inclined human here at autoevolution, the results of Ron's work can be appreciated by anyone, regardless of experience and love of cars or lack thereof.

Photo: MyClassicCarTV / YouTube Screenshot

As mentioned, the Seeker started off with nothing more than a suspension from a 1965 VW bus and some of the steering and throttle systems, but the rest is 100% unique and won't be found on other vehicles except by imitation. To make things easier to understand, allow me to start with the exterior, and we'll work our way inward.

From the first time I saw the Surf Seeker, I was blown away by the warped look that Mr. Berry produced. The classic chrome trim that runs underneath the windows has been heavily widened and arched, forcing the windows and even the roof to follow the same shape. As a result, each window differs from the next and must have been a pain to cut and shape.

Then there's the front of this bugger, chopped, slightly pinched, and looking like it's got one of the biggest overbites I've seen; the bumper makes it look like it's even ready to clear sand out of the way to ensure you reach the best surf. Oh, and by the way, all of this is hammered out by Berry himself. Take note that those headlights are nothing more than 11-inch salad bowls from Walmart. Now, that's creativity at its finest.

Photo: MyClassicCarTV / YouTube Screenshot

At the rear, the overbite look is then swapped for an underbite, helping the rear bumper just out, and slightly pushing the roof forward, giving the Seeker its cartoon-inspired looks. But, if you're looking to sneak a peek at the motor, you'll need a key remote and sit back and watch the show.

As for the powerhouse behind the Surf Seeker, it's a 2,275 cc motor designed by none other than Dick Landy in conjunction with B&M and spitting out 209 hp. According to Ron, it could be "the last surviving one." All I can say about how much power this can spit out is that Seeker comes equipped with wheelie bars, just in case. It's all sitting on a set of 24s, too, just in case you were wondering.

Now, we could sit here and talk about the exterior of this project for hours to days, but we also need to check out the interior, and it's here that we see even more of Berry's love for machines like this. There are two ways to hop inside, and it depends on whether you're in the driver's or not.

Photo: MyClassicCarTV / YouTube Screenshot

Suppose you're a passenger aboard the Surf Seeker. In that case, you'll enter that pristine wood and cream interior via a side door, as is typical for a VW bus. But, if you're the driver or passenger sitting in the front seat, you'll hop inside in a very BMW Isetta-like manner by swinging open the entire front construction like it's a door, with the dashboard incorporated into the dang thing and everything.

The interior experience is really one-of-a-kind, with magnetic and wooden window and windshield frames, headroom due to that nice lifted roof, and an egg-shell-toned leather only highlighted by red trim. Chrome touches only complete the picture; I love it!

The rest of the video below also takes us on a ride to see how this thing handles, sounds, and runs, and by god, I'm starting to understand the whole fuss behind the purr of an ICE-powered machine. Don't get me wrong; I've always loved the ringing of an air-cooled VW engine, but the Surf Seeker is something else entirely. Feeling inspired yet?

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