He Built Himself A Wooden Car

He Built Himself A Wooden Car FARM HOME Cars 4-6-36 Latest new tourist attraction in Fulda, Minn. (population 1,212) is Vince Sandhu st's wooden car. The entire frame and body of the "Sandhurst Roadster" is wooden. Only the engine and chassis are metal. Sandhurst, a carpenter and cabinet maker by trade, had an old VW Karmann Ghia he intended to restore conventionally. During the construction industry slowdown last spring, he had extra free time. That's when he decided to restore the car with wood instead of metal or fiberglass. The engine came from another Volkswagen and is mounted up front. He says his rust-proof wooden car handles well, even at speeds up to 55 mph. And, it's sturdy enough so that he doesn't worry about it falling apart on rough roads. "I reinforced the frame so it's really solidly built. If it got hit by another car, it would probably get busted up, but I'm not worried that it would disintegrate." The "Sandhurst" is built primarily of oak with black walnut trim for accent. "Basically, the walnut replaces everything that would be chrome on a regular car," says Sandhurst. He even built two air horns out of walnut and mounted them up front. The entire car is protected with a waterproof body lacquer similar to the finish on a regular car. "You can even wax and polish it like a regular car," notes Sandhurst. Although it's built like an oldfashioned roadster, Sandhurst says he didn't pattern it after any particular kind of car. It even contains a rumble seat hidden under an oak panel. The steering wheel bears the distinctive, hand-carved "Sandhurst" insignia. He intends to build a folding wooden top to make his car convertible for all-weather driving. Sandhurst has become somewhat of a celebrity ever since he first drove his wooden car down the main street of Fulda. "Most people keep asking the same questions. They want to know why I did it, what it's made of and stuff like that. A lot of people, with tongue in cheek, ask if I've had problems with termites." (He hasn't.) He figures it took at least 500 hours and about $2,000 for materials to build the car. His son Terry and friend Daryl Hassebroek helped provide part of the labor. Sandhurst says he'd consider custom-building a wooden car for any interested customers. The cost? About $10,000, with the customer supplying the engine and chassis. Sandhurst wants to build himself another wooden car, only bigger next time. "I've already got a straight-8 Buick frame to build it on." For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Vince Sandhurst, Fulda, Minn. 56131(ph 507 425-3154).

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