The Beechcraft 18 was a workhorse of planes worldwide for much of the 20th century. Here's its most unusual modification: the body of a Beechcraft mated to a Jeep Cherokee chassis, with its 14-passenger interior saved. Because Beech Car.
The Beech Car was created by California builder Bob Pfeiffer in the mid-1980s from a 1943 twin-engine Beechcraft 18 SNB Navy rescue plane. Using the underpinning of a '79 Cherokee with a 360-cu. in. V8, Pfeiffer crafted a plane-bodied van with custom interior, lighting and controls — including a hand-carved panel with military-quality gauges
Among its owners: a hockey team that used it to haul cheerleaders onto the ice, followed by Air Vegas Airlines which used it to transport passengers from the tarmac to the terminal, and lastly by Southwestern Aero Exchange of Tulsa, which sells Beechcraft 18 parts and parked it outside for advertising.
With the passing of the current owner, the Beech Car has been put up for sale at an asking price of $100,000, along with an extensive scrapbook of the car's history and a notation that the tail can be removed for shipping by container. Which raises the question: Who would buy this wonderful piece of body fabrication and not immediately get behind the wheel?