What Is That Thing?

          Technically it was dubbed the Volkswagen Type 181 Kurierwagen and was never really intended to be sold to the public. But when it was it became known as The Thing (if you're interested, here is an earlier blog about this machine: http://turnerbudds-carblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-volkswagon-thing.html).    

          The Thing was something of a hybrid design. It had the mechanics of the Beetle and sat on a Karmann Ghia platform. They were effective off road vehicles, which was their original purpose, but they were something very different when you saw one driving down the street. Here are some examples that were being shown off at the recent 27th Annual Volkswagen and Porsche Reunion.