Don Erbert is basking in his newfound fame.
Erbert is all the buzz of the political blogosphere courtesy of his 42-year-old Jeep that carried GOP gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach through Saturdays Old Shawnee Days Parade.
Besides sporting an elaborate paint scheme and a Donald Trump bobblehead doll that doubles as the hood ornament; the pièce de résistance is a replica Ma Deuce .50 caliber machine gun affixed to the roll cage.
Erbert drove Kobach in the rolling homage to the Second Amendment.
By days end, Kobach had texted to Erbert, Youve got a world famous Jeep.
I said, I just hope somebody makes me a hell of an offer for it, Erbert said.
Erbert shared with the Register the story of how he acquired the CJ-5 and why such a vehicle carries such fond memories for him; the difficulty in designing such a unique paint scheme; and how the Jeep became at least for a few days the latest political flap featuring the presumed GOP frontrunner.
ERBERT, who works in construction, was working in Arkansas last summer when he spotted a bright red 1976 Jeep CJ-5 for sale at a local car lot.
He was instantly smitten, recalling his high school days when Erbert would putter around Iola in his 1973 CJ-5. It was the vehicle he drove when he started dating Mary, his wife.
I kind of knew the end result I wanted with it as soon as I got it, he said. I knew I wanted to wrap it in an American flag. But when I started, I had no idea how big a process that was going to be.
Jeeps of that vintage went out of production in the 1980s, so designers today have little experience with designs to match the vehicles unusual contours.
It took a while for Erbert to find a designer for the paint scheme, and even longer for the designer to come up with a piece to match the Jeeps shape.
It took us forever to measure every angle, he explained.
Once a designer in Nashville was able to design the proper vinyl body wrap, the vehicle was sent to Chux Trux in Liberty, Mo., for the wrap to be applied. A few other slight modifications were added as well.
Its got new tires and disc brakes, Erbert said. The guys did a great job. It drives like its brand new. You can run it right down the road. It handles great I mean, for a CJ-5.
