It's got a rollbar, the doors have been removed, and perhaps the engine has been upgraded from the original 46 horsepower. This Thing is ready for some serious off-road action... which it won't find in the utterly flat and quite urban terrain of Alameda.


The Beetle's interior seems pretty luxurious next to the Thing's, but you can see the family resemblance in the steering wheel, speedometer, shifter, etc. I hope the owner hasn't lost the doors, which can be removed without tools.


The rainy winters here tend to promote rust in body parts that collect water, such as these engine air intake covers. It's taken 34 years for the rust to get this far, so no urgent action need be taken yet!

Is it a US-market Thing, a European military Type 181, a Mexican Safari? I sure as hell can't tell you, but it parks on the street and drives regularly (trailing showers of sparks on even the smallest roadway imperfections).


As you can see, I shot this last fall. Leaves, squirrels, seagull shit... but who cares?


Sadly, this 181's owner also has plain ol' California plates in addition to the Armed Forces 1954 plates.