Custom VW Thing with a Porsche Flat-Six

Ron Jones Garage won Top 4 of Battle of the Builders at the 2025 SEMA Show with their custom 1973 VW Thing. The unique vehicle is powered by a 3.0 L Porsche flat-six stroked to 3.2 liters. It features lightweight connecting rods, titanium valve hats, custom-ground camshaft, and Motec ECU. Power is sent to all four wheels through a 996 Turbo six-speed manual transaxle and front differential. The powertrain is supported by a custom chromoly tube chassis built by Colorado Sandcars with an offroad suspension featuring Fox double adjustable coilovers and Alcon Racing brakes. Ron Jones Garage designed and fabricated a custom metal body and sprayed it in Porsche 328 Gulf Blue paint. The finishing touch is a set of custom Curtis Speed beadlock wheels based on Fuchs wheels. You can read the project’s history along with more photos of the build process at the project page.

Source: Ron Jones Garage