These 6 surfing-themed special edition cars were best enjoyed beachside

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Surf season may only just be starting in Canada, where boarders on the coasts wait for the colder temperatures and the reliable and larger waves they bring with them to pull on their wetsuits. But in other parts of the world, surf’s been up for months, dude.  

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Look at the U.K., were Kia’s electric Boardmasters Edition recently debuted at the 2021 Boardmasters surfing and music festival on the Cornish Coast of England. It’s just the latest one-off vehicle built with constant trips to the beach in mind. 

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These 6 surfing-themed special edition cars were best enjoyed beachside Back to video

The Korean car maker converted one of its 64.0-kWh EV Soul concepts into a beach-bound buggy by lifting it a full three inches, expanding wheel arches to fit some larger tires on white-painted steel rims, installing a swing-out bench and arm, and mounting a steel roof rack, solar panel, and LED spotlights to the roof. 

But the Soul-surfing Kia isn’t the first vehicle purpose-built for the bums of beach and board. Here are some other cars, trucks, and other rides built or commissioned by their makers to capitalize on the surfing lifestyle. 

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Dodge Dart Hang 10

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Dodge had the solution for surfers who didn’t want to ruin the roofline of their fastback muscle car with a rack: the “convertriple” folding rear seat cushion in the Dart Hang 10. 

With just 700-or so units sold in 1974 and 1975, the Dodge Dart Hang 10 was a surfer’s dream car, finished in eggshell white with red and blue striping down the rear, sides, and curved hood, and even a little painting decal of a surfer catching a wave. The dealer-installed appearance package also included a multicoloured interior and orange shag carpeting. Despite the “Hang 10” reference to longboard surfing, the car could actually only accommodate shortboards in its interior, even with the special seats folded down. 

Pontiac Stinger Concept

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The future was bright in 1989 — bright neon green. Pontiac predicted what the sport utility vehicles to come would look like with its Stinger concept, a compact buggy-style four-seater with four-wheel-drive and a 3.0L four-cylinder engine making 170 horsepower and tied to a three-speed automatic transmission.

The vehicle also featured active air suspension, granting it up to four inches of extra clearance in the dunes or dirt; and a bunch of ’80s gadgets including, but not limited to, two dust-busters, two long-distance cell phones, a CD player, a detachable stereo, a drink cooler contained in the doors, and a garden hose.  

That last bit seems superfluous to most, but not to those who’ve been tumbling about in the waves and sand like sea creatures. They appreciate the chance to rinse. 

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Jeep Chief Concept

In 2015, Jeep introduced a total of  seven concepts at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. Our favourite was a Wrangler-based 1970s Cherokee homage that put out some serious tiki design vibes while embracing the brand’s then-new technology. 

The concept had removable sides for long items like boards, a two-inch lifted suspension, off-road tires, an Ocean Blue paint colour that actually made it to production a couple years later on the 2017 Chief, ample rosewood accents inside, and, easily its most eye-catching feature, a colourful Hawaiian-inspired floral motif on the seats and dash inside. 

Nissan Kicks Surf

Three years after the compact crossover Kicks was released onto the market in 2016, Nissan revealed the Nissan Kicks Surf concept, “designed for those in search of the perfect wave.” The Surf was finished in blue with yellow-green accents, ocean-wave graphics, and blue stitching inside. Blue = ocean. Get it? 

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The automaker also asked South American surf-star brothers Alejo and Santiago Muniz what they’d include in their ideal vehicle, and so were instructed to fit it with a portable shower system complete with changing booth, a roof crossbar for board transportation, a back storage area for wetsuits and gear, and a water-resistant bracelet that acts as a key fob. 

Volkswagen ID Buggy Concept

Decades after aftermarket tuner Meyers and its Manx made the VW Beetle beach famous by transforming it into the now-iconic dune buggy, Volkswagen official hopped on the trend and produced its own sand-throwing concept.

Debuting in 2019, the VW ID Buggy concept is an electric whip for the California surfer trope — capable in the sand with a 204-horsepower electric motor and single-speed gearbox, but not at the expense of the environment. The two-seater has no windows or roof, making it the appropriate carrier for many types of beach toys. VW says the concept was designed for ease of modification, but unfortunately it will not see production.   

Bonus: A surfboard made by — Jaguar?

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Creating expensive one-off concept cars isn’t the only way for automakers to insert themselves into the surfing scene. Using recycled plastic leftover from the Discovery Sport design process and working with SkunkWorks Surf Co., Jaguar built a custom surfboard called the “Waste to Wave,” which was tested by a British pro surfer in Northern Ireland in 2017. The Waste to Wave also features a carbon strip running from the tail for added strength; and carbon-fibre rails along the nose.