Like a proud father, John Bickel is the only one who can see the difference between the five vintage Volkswagen (VW) Beetles he restored for a national advertising campaign.
‘They’re all perfectly identical,? said Bickel, who lives on the Oxford/Brandon border and operates a small restoration/custom shop called State of Mind Customs. ‘I could tell the cars apart because I built them, but the average person would never be able to.?
Good thing because they all answer to the name ‘Max.?
Since April 5, on televisions across the nation, Max, a shiny black 1964 Volkswagen Beetle (or Bug) with a German accent, has been interviewing an eclectic group of celebrities including basketball coach Bobby Knight, supermodel Heidi Klum, Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy and Baywatch actor David Hasselhoff.
The commercials are designed to create nostalgia and help introduce Volkswagen’s new line of vehicles this year.
Once the Max commercials got approval Dec. 16, Miami ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky approached AMCI Marketing in Bloomfield Hills who tapped Bickel for the job of creating five identical 1964 Beetles.
‘The first three cars we did in 21 days,? said Bickel, who’s shop started working at a feverish pace around Christmas. ‘It was basically one car every seven days we ended up generating.?
For a shop that’s used to spending anywhere from six months to a full year working on each customer’s vehicle, the hectic pace was definitely unnerving at times.
‘It really stretched us as far as being a small facility,? Bickel said. ‘It was just a crazy, crazy schedule. We worked seven days a week ? a lot of long nights.?
Fortunately, Bickel had a ‘little more relaxed schedule? for the last two Beetles. They were each completed in 14 days.
AMCI Marketing scoured the nation to find and acquire only ‘the highest quality? vehicles and parts, then shipped them to Bickel’s garage enabling him to create a small army of 1964 VW Beetle clones.
Every aspect of each car is authentic from the expensive German square weave carpet to the 6-volt Sapphire AM radio. The hardest part to find was the steering wheel.
When asked why this Beetle was chosen for the ad campaign, Bickel replied, ‘In my opinion, the ?64 offers some really unique vintage aspects that other years don’t.?
Personally, he doesn’t have a favorite year.
‘I love them all,? he said.
The original VW Beetle began production in Nazi Germany in 1938. The last one rolled off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico on July 30, 2003 and into the company’s museum in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Normally, State of Mind Customs, which was established in Troy about five years ago and moved to Brandon just 10 months ago, consists of just Bickel and his only full-time employee, Andrew McKenney, of Orion.
But for this tall order, Bickel, who spent part of his childhood in Orion’s Bunny Run subdivision and attended Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Oxford, had to put together a team of 20 local laborers and subcontract a lot of work to businesses throughout southeast Michigan.
Given the state’s hard economic times, he considered all this business a ‘real shot in the arm for Michigan.?
‘The job could have (gone) to anybody in the country, but they chose us and as a result, there were jobs and income generated for local businesses here,? Bickel said. ‘Anybody that can do any kind of business here in this state right now, I think it’s a real encouragement and inspiration to a lot of people.?
Approximately 95 percent of Bickel’s business comes from Volkswagen Beetles and even some old Microbuses. He admitted he’s filling a ‘very small niche market.?
‘Our closest competitor’s in Colorado,? said Bickel, who coincidentally graduated from Denver Auto & Diesel College.
He spent time doing fiberglass and mold work and even some prototype work before finding his home in the collision industry where he spent more than 30 years in different shops before opening State of Mind Customs.
Bickel loves VWs so much because of the personal stories associated with them and the fond memories they evoke.
‘You pull up in a Volkswagen Beetle and you’ll have everybody and their brother or sister walking up to you and wanting to make a social connection,? he said. ‘Everybody’s got a Volkswagen story.?
Bickel’s sorry he can’t go on tour with his Max clones as they make public appearances at various venues around the country.
‘I would love to be out in the public with the car and listen to the dialogue because that’s where Max is really going to come alive,? he said. ‘People who own these cars are genuine. They’re the real deal.?
VW Beetles were once a mainstay among ‘everyday, blue collar workers? because they were affordable, economical (they get 32-35 miles to the gallon) and easy to work on.
‘It’s the people’s car. No question about it,? Bickel said. ‘On an international basis, this car has probably been more widely distributed than any other car in history.?
Bickel credits his father-in-law with peaking his interest in VW Beetles with ‘his stories about driving them post-World War II with his GI buddies.?
Later, when his father-in-law had a wife and six children, a station wagon served as the family car, but it was his VW Beetle that he drove to work everyday. ‘He had two or three of them,? Bickel said. ‘He would grab parts off the others for (the one he was driving.)?
Bickel’s pride and joy is a 1957 VW Beetle he acquired in Tennessee and took nine months to restore. He wanted to have it ready for its 50th anniversary last year. ‘It’s a beautiful car, absolutely gorgeous car,? he said, noting it took first place in every competition he entered.
A photo of him and his baby graced the cover of the December 2007 issue of Hot VWs magazine, which included a feature article about Bickel and his car.
Although he’s happy about his company’s success, Bickel wants his shop to continue growing at a slow pace (or ‘baby step? as he put it) so he can continue doing what he loves, working on cars, rather than managing people and resources from an office.
‘Everybody told me stay small as long as you can,? he said.
Bickel is shopping for a bigger building to house his business. His current garage is about 3,000 square feet. He’s looking for something in the 5,000 to 6,000-square-foot range so he’ll have inside vehicle storage available. ‘We want to double what we’ve got now,? he said.
For more information about Bickel’s shop visit www.stateofmindcustoms.com.