For Fun
You may think that reality TV invented the custom car but, in real reality, they have been around almost as long as the automobile itself. Individual owners of the early mass produced cars often wanted “extras” that were not available on the factory model (some cars were actually produced and sold with neither headlights nor klaxons). Then there was the “you can have any color you like – so long as it’s black” attitude. Car owners might appreciate mass produced prices but often wanted individuality as well.
For Function
As early as the 1950’s, people like the Barris brothers were selling their “kustom” cars and kids were beginning to turn old cars into “hot rods”. These were all basically “fun” cars rather than speciality vehicles. A speciality vehicle is one that has been customized for the purpose of performing a function or a job. A passenger bus converted into a motor home would be a speciality vehicle. Other examples could include anything from mobile clinics and emergency response vehicles to hearses and ambulances.
For specialty vehicles that are in big demand and can be standardized, companies can be successfully run making nothing but the one speciality vehicle. However, in a great number of cases the customization required to provide for the buyer’s individual speciality is such that they must be made on a one-off basis. Businesses that carry out this level of customization will usually take factory parts like chassis, engine, transmission, etc and then build the specialized body onto them.
For Attack Or Defense
It did not take the military long to realize that neither infantry nor cavalry would stand much of a chance against a motorized army. But, they did not plan to simply switch their horses over to standard issue automobiles. Custom Military Vehicles were what they needed.
Motor driven gun carriages evolved through to today’s main battle tanks (possibly the most known example of all Custom Military Vehicles). Today’s military have armoured personnel carriers to take them into battle. Mobile command centers to lead them and even mobile hospitals to care for them.
In a defense role, Custom Military Vehicles can include vehicles equipped to enter areas contaminated by biological or even nuclear attack and serve a search and rescue function as well as protecting their personnel. As in civilian life, if there is a job to be done and nothing is there to perform it, the chances are that someone can come up with suitable custom military vehicles to get equipment and manpower to wherever it has to be used.
Special vehicle manufacturer Mobile Specialty Vehicles, Inc. is well known for their excellence on civilian vehicles but they can also apply their skills and experience to produce Custom Military Vehicles. To find out more, visit their website.
