It’s crazy to think that something this wild was spawned from the Beetle. It’s equally crazy to think that someone left this orange example to die a slow death outside of this East Hampton eatery. The Type 181 Kurierwagen, or Thing as Americans know it, was dreamed up as a rugged and more capable sister vehicle to the people’s car. Unfortunately, the Thing only lasted 3 years on the American (1972-1975) market thanks to stricter safety standards that didn’t exactly mesh with beach-going removable doors and a fold flat windshield. The cult following remains though and these things (no pun intended) have fetched well into the $20k range at auctions as of late.

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