What so special about the Thing?

[Thingggg]

Things were party mobiles for college kids in the early 70’s so freeze dried hippies will have happy feelings when they see one.

Something’s in life are great for what they are not—not for what they are.

This is why I hate a gaudy aircooled VW (especially a Thing) or (old Willies Jeep). Like people they should not try to be something they are not. Simple is COOL.

[Patmus]

My take on it is that Thing owners drive them for no other reason than they love them. They are not trying to make a statement, or trying to impress the hotties, or trying to fit in ,or rebelling against the establishment or anything else. They are driving their beloved Thing simply because they love it and are having a ball doing it. I kinda feel like a one vehicle parade when I drive it around. I seriously doubt people who drive Hondas feel that way about their cars....................

-Pat

[stonebobbo]

It just is. People always smile when they see the Thing. There are always lots of "I always wanted one of those" comments from both men and women who are getting closer to the golden years.

But kids also find it unique. When my eldest daughter was in high school, she got the "coolest car" award in the yearbook, despite a plethora expensive, customized cars that affluent parents tend to put their kids in. Now my son (child #4) is getting ready for his turn with it. We've just finished going through it and doing a homemade desert camo paint job in an attempt to hide all the little beauty marks it has received through it's lifetime. Looks pretty good though and he thinks it is the coolest. I've had the daily parade of local kids checking in daily on the progress. I'll post pics in the next couple of days once I get the seats back in.

After this, one more kid who'll use it to learn how to really drive a car. After that, lady stonebobbo (who loves this car more than anyone else) and I will invest in a proper resto and bring it back to it's original Alcapulco glory.

Thirty years from now when you see a couple of old folks in a strange blue and white vehicle driving the coast of California with giant smiles on their faces, that'll be us.

[Thingggg]

Don’t belittle the investment factor, driving something that is going up in value is also OK in my book.

[fisheye]

Two weeks ago I had a woman pull up next to me at a read light and say only few words: "You have a nice looking thing, I would love take it for a ride". We then both had a little laugh and drove off. I guess there are a few women out there that like the Thing!

[stonebobbo]

Uh ... are you sure she was talking about your car?

[Captain Spalding]

About ten days ago I started a poll asking if the Thing is your only aircooled vehicle or not. I asked that question in relation to this thread, wondering if, for most of us, owning a Thing is a goal in itself, or part of a larger more general interest in older aircooled VWs.

The vote was split, with about half of all respondents saying they owned more than one aircooled marvel, and half stating that they only owned a Thing. In the commentary that accompanies the poll, many posters who wrote that their Thing was their only VW also said they had either owned another aircooled VW, or desire or intend to own another in the future.

This would indicate that the Thing, for most of us, is not so special, but part of an encompassing VW hobby (or, for those who admitted they have more than 4, a fetish. )

My Thing is my only aircooled VW. It's attraction for me was not that it was a VW, or that it was aircooled, or that it could be modified for offroading. It is the simplicity and stark minimalism† of the little beast that drew me to it. It lives almost alone in a realm beyond pretense and status-conciousness, where form follows function. Call it Zen. Call it Bauhaus. With a hint of survivalist or anarchist mixed in. Whatever you call it, I love it. I feel about my Thing as I might about a stray mutt that I found on the street, neglected. Now well-groomed and pampered, it's a purebred in my eyes. Many call it ugly, while a few will voice approval. No matter - jeers or praise are met with equal apathy. There is an air of mystery about the Thing. Many people have never seen one. Those who drive one are a bit mysterious as well. We defy categorization. It's tough for the casual onlooker to size us up. I really enjoy that aspect of the car.


†Footnote:
Note that I did not use the term utilitarianism. The Thing, almost too minimal for its own good, is not particularly practical in today's world. It lacks too many significant safety and comfort features and often struggles to match the flow of fast-moving traffic. To own and drive a Thing, one must make too many compromises for it to be considered utilitarian. IMHO, of course.

[bljones]

I disagree about the lack of utilitarianism (?) (sounds like a political movement) of the 181. Four removable doors, removable top and frame, folding windshield, folding rear seat backs creating a larger flat load bed, simple mechanicals requriring a minimum of tools, no creature comforts- it doesn't get more utilitarian than that. In the morning you can bring home a load of lumber, build a raft, load the raft on the open back of your 181, go to the beach, discover a) you are not much of a shipwright, b) you weigh more than you thought you did, and c) you cannot bend archimedes law, but that is okay, because you can fold down the windshield and air dry yourself on the way home. When you arrive back at your stately manor, you can (carefully) hose out the interior, and your car is ready for action again tomorrow.

Try that with a minivan.



As far as the appeal of the Thing, i think the general public finds it to be "approachable"- it has no pretensions. It doesn't aspire to be sporty, like a miata or a spitfire, there are no high dollar associations/ assumptions like those bundled with corvette or porsche ownership. it is what it is. Every demographic looks at a 181 and thinks "that looks like fun."

If the 181 were a dog, it would not be a purebred with AKC paperwork; it would be a pound mutt. Sure, it may not have the breeding or the pedigree, and once in a while it may hack up something on the hall carpet, but it is loyal, easy to maintain, and fun to have around.
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[bciesq]

I think we have an answer, or at least a consensus. Things are special because they are the lovable mutts of the automotive kingdom.

[Captain Spalding]

[bljones]

i understand your point, capt'n, and don't want you to think that i asm disapsraging your views at all. (i gotta give props to anyone who can utter the magic word "strother.") i simply wanted to present the other side of the story. Having said that, i stand by my thesis. i see your ppoint regarding the relative utilitarianism of a squareback, or minivan except for one thing- try to hose out your squareback or minivan's interior.
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[ztnoo]

Is the reference here to Strother Martin????
If not, ya lost me.
He was as the sadistic prison-farm captain in 1967's Cool Hand Luke.
His character's signature line, "What we have here is a failure t' communicate."

[Captain Spalding]