By Dean Larson

Photos: Seller, BringaTrailer.com

It was in 2011 that Chris Runge undertook his first custom coachworking project in a rural Minnesota barn. Inspired by post-war German designs, Chris dreamed up a free-spirited getaway machine based on modified Porsches he’d owned over the years. On a whim, he took the car, Frankfurt Flyer 001, to a cars and coffee event, and was surprised at the attention the car received. Since then, Chris has focused his efforts on building increasingly diverse cars based on the early, air-cooled German platform. This car, Frankfurt Flyer 008, is currently up for grabs on BringaTrailer.com, and is arguably Runge’s most recognizable and simple shape.

FF008 was built by Runge in 2017 on a proprietary chassis with a 2,110 cc VW engine. The powerplant was built by CB Performance and produces 159 hp, which is translated to the wheels by a Benco four-speed transaxle. The car was purchased by its first owner for a sum of $161,950, and has been driven just 1,000 miles since.

Like all Runge creations, FF008 is constructed in superleggera style, where the body’s main structure is a framework of lightweight, small-diameter tubes with an aluminum skin shaped over it. The panels on Runge cars are built by hand with various forms of shrinking and stretching employed. The English wheel is used to bring all panels to a smooth finish before they are finish-mounted and polished.

Titled in Arizona as a 1966 Volkswagen, FF008 has a simple and curvaceous profile that has really come to represent Runge’s style. It’s currently up for auction on BringaTrailer.com with a current bid of $51,000. In June of 2018, Runge FF004 sold on BaT for $103,000, and we’d guess 008 will exceed that amount.