Transporter, Kombi, Hippiebus or Rye Bread. It goes by many names, but the coolest is surely FB1 Race-Taxi. This custom-built “van-rocket” is perhaps the wildest variant of Volkswagen’s hit, a Porsche 993 Bi-Turbo powered VW T1.
The FB1 Race-Taxi was built by owner Swiss Fred Bernhard, who has spent six years of his life to transforming a classic VW T1 1962 wagon into this race track monster. On the outside, the van keeps intact the neat, old school look, displaying a beautiful paint job done in a classic Volkswagen orange/white/grey paint scheme. What lies beneath the surface, is a different story. It’s where the game gets raised. In here it’s pure business, pure race car. No fancy leather interior, just the necessary gauges and electronics.
The FB1 Race-Taxi is powered by the six-cylinder biturbo engine of a Porsche 993, driving 530 horsepower and 558 lb-ft of torque, through the six-speed manual transmission from a 996 GT3. That translates into a max. speed of 143 mi/hour for a vehicle with the aerodynamic profile of a bus with a weight of “only” 3,300 pounds. But all these features are really just a bonus for such a spectacular looking Rye Bread – even when it is stationary.
