This van was the second of two fiberglass Phoenix vans I built. It was finished after three years of evenings and weekends in the mid 1980's while I worked at an aerospace firm. In 1998 I sold it. Enjoy your tour around my custom car website.
I saw plans for this vehicle in a 1978 Popular Mechanics magazine. The Quincy-Lynn Company was the designer. Look at designer Bob (Quincy) Riley's website. He shows how homebuilt constructions takes place.
This fiberglass space van started out as a 1971 VW van. The entire body is made from raw materials. It's a fiberglass/urethane foam sandwich construction over a metal roll frame. The foam is cut to shape, glued over the metal frame then the entire shell is fiberglassed inside and out.
Due to the increased utility, this van has seen the US from Florida, to Indiana, to California. It's not a van that's parked in the garage 350 days a year. It gets out! And wherever the Phoenix II goes, it's not just a trip - it's a parade. I've taken long distance vacations with the Phoenix II to the beach in Galveston, Texas; the Indianapolis 500; Hollywood, California; Lake City, Colorado; Orlando, Florida. Wherever the Phoenix II is, heads turn and crowds gather.
Over the Road
Links to screen size blowups - Try one!
I modified Quincy-Lynn's plans to make it much more functional. I put sliding windows in the front doors and built a power clamshell curbside door for a real spaceship effect. The front has five headlights which makes people scratch their heads as if they are looking at a UFO. I also utilized a Transvair adapter kit to install a six cylinder Corvair engine and automatic transmission to give it more pep and more glide.
MORE ABOUT PHOENIX II:
Features / Specifications
Phoenix Interior
Power door animation
The Phoenix has been claimed!