SEMA 2025: What If Porsche Built The Thing? Lunatic Fringe By Ron Jones Garage Answers That Question

Lunatic Fringe is one of those builds that forces you to stop, stare, and question every assumption you’ve ever had about what a Volkswagen Thing can be. Born from the imagination and fabrication talent inside Ron Jones Garage of Windsor, Colorado, the pastel-blue machine is equal parts Porsche homage, off-road weapon, and full-tilt hot-rod craftsmanship. It’s a vehicle that looks like it rolled out of an alternate universe — one where Porsche itself decided the humble Type 181 deserved the kind of performance normally reserved for a 911.

Hand-Built Body, Reimagined Identity

At the core of Lunatic Fringe is a completely hand-built metal body draped over a custom chromoly tube chassis, a structure fabricated by Colorado Sandcars. Nothing about it is restored or refurbished; the Thing’s iconic flat sides and upright shape were recreated panel by panel, refined with Porsche-like surfacing, and sprayed in Porsche’s classic 328 Gulf Blue. Even the wheels — a set of Curtis Speed beadlock wheels with a modern twist on the legendary Fuchs design — bridge the aesthetic gap between quirky VW military rig and Stuttgart sports car lineage. The result is a rig that looks familiar from afar but reveals an almost absurd level of detail the closer you get.

Porsche Power, Hot-Rod Execution

The heart of the build comes straight from Zuffenhausen, or at least its spiritual essence. Under the rear deck lives an air-cooled Porsche 3.0-liter flat-six, stroked to 3.2 liters and stuffed with lightweight connecting rods, titanium valve spring retainers, and a custom-ground camshaft. Engine management is handled by a Motec ECU, and the entire assembly is a showcase of machined perfection — hundreds of custom-made components transforming the vintage engine into something far more serious. It’s the kind of powerplant that turns the Thing from a novelty into a legitimate performance machine.

All-Wheel Drive with Real Attitude

The Porsche influence doesn’t end there. Power routes through a six-speed manual transaxle borrowed from a 996 Turbo, sending torque to all four wheels via a genuine all-wheel-drive system. That alone would make Lunatic Fringe one of the wildest Things ever built, but Ron Jones Garage didn’t stop until the suspension matched the drivetrain’s potential. Long-travel geometry supported by Fox coilovers at each corner gives the build the composure of a high-end sand car, while Alcon Racing brakes supply the kind of stopping force most 181 owners could only dream of.

Function Over Flash Inside

Inside, the vehicle leans more toward function than flash, with exposed tubing, race-style seating, and the purposeful simplicity you’d expect from a machine designed to hammer dunes rather than polish trophies. Still, the craftsmanship remains unmistakable. Every bracket, seam, and stitch reflects the Jones family’s guiding philosophy: build it as though Porsche itself had decided the Thing deserved a hardcore off-road counterpart to the 911.

A SEMA Standout With A Story

That philosophy resonated far beyond the shop’s walls. Lunatic Fringe first turned heads at the Grand National Roadster Show while still unfinished, hinting at the madness to come. Its full debut at the 2025 SEMA Show validated the hype, earning a spot in the SEMA Battle of the Builders Top 4. In a sea of high-dollar builds and high-horsepower showcases, the pastel Porsche-Thing mashup stood out — not because it tried to be the loudest or most extreme, but because it was executed with a level of vision and craftsmanship that felt genuinely original.