Big Red

Like Walter the bus, Big Red started out as an airfield fire/rescue engine.  He is actually the same brand just a different model than Walter.  In fact, the reason Kirk bought this second one is because they have the same chassis and wheelbase.  In case you did not know the VW bug and the VW bus both have the same wheelbase making these two fire trucks the perfect brother and sister for conversion into large scale VW's.  Kirk decided he wanted to make a Baja this time though.

Here Big Red is all done ready for Burning Man 2012!

Kirk had taken a few years to build Walter from start to finish but Big Red only took about 9 months!  Kirk knew what he wanted the second time around and he knew what it would be used for.  This made the fabrication process much quicker and much more painless.  Of course there were struggles (like when Big Red's diesel engine decided to literally explode) and hardships along the way, but Big Red really went from the drawing board to fully created incredibly fast!

Here he is at Burning Man 2012!

The lightstrips blazing

So while Walter and Big Red are two separate great art creations they are similar in many ways.  Walter is more of a party mobile/ dj station while Big Red is more of a playa cruising vehicle/ art car.  I am always really inspired by Kirks creations not just because of the scale of them but how much he really puts into each one.  Each person who works on these machines or plays with them gets a really big kick out of them.  They are monstrous creations of mad design and damn fine engineering! 

Walter The Bus

Walter is a vehicle that was created by my father's friend Kirk Strawn.  He has always been very excited about Volkswagen cars and wanted to make an art car to resemble on of his favorites: the bus.  This project started almost 10 years ago when Kirk decided during a trip to Burning Man that he wanted an art car for the festival.  He had a few initial ideas but decided that the most plausible would be to make an extremely over sized VW bus.  So Kirk went out and purchased a "crash truck" that is essentially a fire truck for airports.  He then started ripping the whole thing apart and got down to just the chassis.  Once down to the main components he started fabricating, with the help of the "Walter Tribe", parts to make it a 2:1 size replica of a VW bus.

Walter has a big frame and the following measurements:

Wheelbase - 186.5 inches
Width - 100 inches
Length - 368.5 inches (30.7 feet)
Height - 13 feet 2 inches
Weight - 19,500 pounds



Here is a Photo of Walter pre-fabrication


So once the construction began to change Walter into a VW bus things really kicked into gear.  Lots of aluminum sheeting was used to create the overall exterior look of the bus which several areas were reinforced to create seating areas and dance areas.  Once Walter "looked" like a huge VW bus the really fun stuff started.  Kirk decided to put in a eight, two thousand watt amps to power his ten, twelve inch subs and his thirty, eight inch mids which all have spots around the bus.  The sound system was an incredible edition to Walter which really made him all the more a "party" vehicle.  Furthermore, Kirk added over ten thousand LEDs that are controlled by a switchboard capable of changing to most colors as well as "dancing" to the music which is being played.  This sound and light show really comes in handy when you are hanging out on the top deck where the dancing area exists.

Overall, Walter is just a big party bus that makes appearances for local VW rallies, charity events, and the occasional party at the Walter Dome.  Walter was built for Burning Man but has transformed into creating a beautiful community of people who now brew beer, play music, make art, and do all sorts of fun things in the Walter Dome.  The Walter Tribe has grown from a few people to over a hundred in the past few years.  They do great things for their community and create some really cool art in many different forms.

Here is a photo of Walter in front of my parents house for my Dad's 55th birthday


This is the dance floor up top


The short lived "horns idea" only lasted one year at Burning Man


Mid fabrication


Burning Man 2012

So, in a nutshell, Walter is a big VW bus that is used to party on.  Walter is pretty artistic in every respect.  He has had mechanics, painters, welders, audio professionals, light show specialists, bands, normal people, and even kids work on him to create this wonderful piece of art.  He holds a special place in my heart given I watched him be built over the years and transform into the crazy party vehicle he is today.