Because the vehicle is intended to carry up to 19 people, Sarriugarte replaced the stock VW suspension with airbags and a compressor that can vary the load-carrying capacity. The engine is hot-rodded and has a large snorkel system to keep sand out during Black Rock Desert sandstorms. The steering linkage and brake systems are a custom design, he says, but the rearview mirror and a split rear window are homages to the original Beetle. Small balls of flames shoot from the vehicle’s antennae, and the vehicle is licensed for street use. 

The Golden Mean won’t be at this year’s Burning Man, though, since Sarriugarte and his wife, Kyrsten Mate, are bringing two new 50-foot-tall wheeled serpent vehicles instead.

Californians Christopher and Amber Marie Bently conceived the idea; Five Ton Crane, creators of art sculptures in the San Francisco Bay area, built it. The Nautilus is 25 feet long and 12 feet tall and made of laser-welded steel with decorative rivets lining the hull. The engine and steering controls are on the “bridge” of the machine. The Nautilus features surround sound, a library, a map room, and a full bar.

The first floor of the mansion is the “engine room”; it’s made of a steel frame to support the upper levels. Upstairs is a lounge deck that will hold about 10 people, O’Hare says. Above that is an observation deck. 

A 70-gallon propane tank fuels the machine, which tours the Burning Man playa daily during the event, covering about 30 miles a day. For the 2012 festival, the Neverwas Haul is getting a new three-cylinder Kubota engine.

Berserker

…and here’s how to build your own one.