ORLANDO, Fla. – Some residents in Orlando might be familiar with a strange vehicle that’s been spotted driving around the city.
This vehicle — dubbed “The Funky Skunk” — is a work truck that’s been outfitted with a large, makeshift skunk built from scrap metal and other recycled materials.
On Monday, News 6 met with the truck’s creator, Brandon Willis, to ask a simple question: Why did he do this?
“I decided to build an art car about five years ago when I was living in California. There’s quite a few more of them over there,” he told News 6. “The skunk itself? I decided to make something that was all-original — nobody had tackled before.”
According to Willis, the truck is entirely street-legal, and the stripes are “packed” with LED lights, so the black-and-white color scheme can be seen even at night.
“I brought it in from California already built, and so I had to take it and get it inspected when I brought it into the state to get a Florida tag,” he said. “And I had to make a few modifications to meet those requirements, like adding reflectors and tail lights and stuff like that.”
The truck is also outfitted with a ladder leading to a small canopy up top.
The Funky Skunk is one of many types of “mutant vehicles” and “art cars.”
“‘Art car’ is a general, blanket term for any artistic car. It could have a paint job or something glued to it,” Willis said. “But if you totally mutate it to the point that you can’t really tell what the base vehicle is, it’s considered a ‘mutant vehicle.’”
Willis has driven The Funky Skunk to several conventions in the past, including Love Burn in Miami. It’s not too fast, though it can reach highway speeds.
[CLICK IN THE MEDIA PLAYER BELOW TO WATCH THE TRUCK DRIVE THROUGH FESTIVAL PARK]
But why is the vehicle shaped like a skunk?
“I liked funk music, and skunk rhymed with that, and again, the black-and-white theme, so why not go with it?” Willis explained.
While Willis has other vehicles he can use to get around, he said he likes to drive the skunk around a couple of times per week.
“One of the best parts of having an art car is you get to see people’s reactions to the art in real-time,” Willis said. “It’s bringing art somewhere people don’t normally see it.”
He added that he’s been pulled over a few times, but it was usually just “to check it out” or snap a few photos.
The entire project was completed in stages over the course of years, and aside from its peculiar look, the truck features a bubble blower in its rear.
While the blower was broken when News 6 spoke with Willis, it typically goes off when the tail raises (with the help of a hand crank in the back).
“That’s kind of the key trademark, I guess, that people remember the most — that the tail goes up and down and that it blows bubbles out the back,” he said. “It leads to a nice visual joke as I’m driving down the road.”
[CLICK IN THE MEDIA PLAYER BELOW TO WATCH THE TAIL RISE]
So what’s next for Brandon Willis? He told News 6 that he’s working on another mutant vehicle.
This next project is expected to feature a 15-foot-tall inflatable panda bear, similar to the inflatable displays put up during Halloween.
To keep up to date with The Funky Skunk’s activities, check out its Facebook page here.
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