The Brubaker Box is one of the most iconic
surf vans ever made and owes its fame partly to the fact it was built on the
popular VW Beetle chassis. Designed by Curtis Brubaker, the Box was made from
13 inner and outer fiberglass panels, including a floor panel, riveted and
bonded together. While longer than the Beetle, the Box’s bodywork was designed
to bolt directly to a standard Volkswagen Type 1 chassis.
Interestingly, access to the cabin was
made exclusively via the passenger side sliding door, which allowed some
changes to the packaging. For example, the pedals were raised and the dash
controls and radio were moved to the left side of the driver.
Furthermore, in addition to the two seats
up front, the Brubaker Box featured a lounge-like area in the back, much like
larger vans of the era. Unfortunately, Curtis Brubaker only managed to build
three of his Boxes in 1972, one of which became the Roamer on the Ark II TV
show.
But that wasn’t the end of the Brubaker
Box as approximately 25 additional vehicles were built by AutoMecca using an
AMC Hornet windshield, Datsun Truck taillights and various other parts from a
Chevrolet El Camino.
We made this unusually long introduction
to present to you a very cool reinterpretation of the Brubaker Box for the 21st
century. Styled by Samir Sadikhov, who works as an exterior car designer, these
renderings envision a modern-day Box complete with contemporary design cues.
Those include the sleek LED lights, massive wheels shod with extra-wide tires,
and a retractable door handle for the sliding door.
It’s easy to imagine this 2020 Brubaker
Box with an all-electric propulsion, though in these renders the fuel filler
cap on the driver’s side suggests the creator had a more traditional powertrain
in mind. Hands up who would like to see this become a reality.
