Meet Fred Hayes: builder of the brilliant Beat Cancer Bus

“Ironically, the bus that was supposed to be left for dead saved my life,” says Fred Hayes about his Gulf liveried Type 2.

Of course, you’ll have already noticed this isn’t a standard Bulli. Fred – nicknamed Lucky and a VW fan since his first car (a 1968 Beetle) caught fire and he managed to laugh it off – tells us that before it arrived at his door it was rotting away in the Oregon mountains.

“A bunch of hippies decided to save it,” says Fred. “A tree had fallen on the middle of it, so they cut the centre section out and just welded it back together. That’s how it became a shorty bus. It then ended up in someone’s yard as a piece of art for 10 years before it somehow made its way to California. I saw it up for sale and I thought it was cool, so I bought it. I like things that are different.”

Photos: Huckleberry Mountain

Fred now refers to it as the ‘Beat Cancer Bus’. In 2023 he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and he says it was the tinkering it took to get the bus into a roadworthy shape that got him through a very tough period in his fight.

“After I was diagnosed with cancer I fell into depression, but rather than isolating myself I turned it around and got back into the car thing to get my mind off my condition. It kind of snowballed from there.

“I went through two surgeries last year and chemotherapy. Between surgeries and chemo, I was working on my cars. I started driving the shorty bus around California and handing out leaflets for the American Cancer Society. I wanted to raise awareness and to persuade people to get tested, and that’s how it became the Beat Cancer Bus. Then I had people start signing it and now the bus has become like a rolling Hallmark card.”

Yep, this little VW is now covered in messages of support or condolence for Fred and hundreds of other people affected by cancer. But there’s a reason why Fred says things ‘snowballed’ after he’d got the air cooled Pork Chop running and driving...

See that picture of the teeny frame and chunky tyres? That’s Lucky’s latest project.

“A month and a half ago I saw the front clip for a VW bus on Facebook Marketplace. Most people would buy that for wall art, but for me I envisioned something more. I decided I could build a car around a front clip.

“I started with 37in off-road tyres, but then decided that I wanted something bigger. I wanted it to look like the Ukrainian Sherp – short and stubby with big tyres. So, I ended up buying these monster 40-inch tall tyres.”

Fred built a custom frame with a 1.4m wheelbase and plans to have his second shorty bus finished by Monterey Car Week in August this year.

“I look at it as I’m going to use that bus to roll over cancer. I figured it’d be a symbol for me. I work on the car every weekend because I still have a day job and a business to run. Between chemotherapy, running a business and working on the car it’s keeping me busy, but I find it very therapeutic working on the car. Time just flies.

“It’s a journey. Every day is a new day and I always tell myself: ‘live a great story’. When you’re 60 and you get diagnosed with cancer your outlook is different. Live each day like it’s your last. That’s how you find energy to do stuff. What would you do if somebody told you that today was going to be your last day? You’re not going to sit around and do nothing. You’re going to grab every opportunity.”

Fred Hayes – businessman, car builder, cancer awareness activist and hopefully soon to be a motivational speaker.