Randy: One of the coolest things about the deco liner
is the fact that you can
drive it from the roof.
I always get asked,
"Is that legal?" Well,
it’s not illegal
and it’s a very fine line.
I was never a big motor homer,
and I always thought it was kind of weird
driving around in a big box
and sleeping in it,
then I built the deco liner.
It’s really cool, we had a lot of fun with it
I put over 15,000 miles on the deco liner.
My wife and I drove all over America.
While building the deco liner
Randy invested over
$100,000
in parts
and a whole lot of time.
Randy: The deco liner was a
6,000 hour
build
executed over an 18 month period.
I know, do the math
it’s a serious medical condition.
That's
seven days a week,
10 to 12 hours a day,
there were only 15 days taken off.
Yeah,
I have issues, obviously
it’s not based on anything else
the chassis under the deco liner
started as a
1973 GMC motor home.
That motor home
was a very iconic motor home,
it was way ahead of its time.
The deco liner
has a 455 joules
and a front wheel drive system in it.
Most motor homes you walk up a flight of stairs
to get above the engine and the drive train.
Because the deco liner is front wheel drive
the frame is only 14 inches off the ground
and it allowed me to stack the roof
and still keep it under the 13 six
legal max here in the states.
The vehicle was recently sold
for half a million dollars.
Mike: I had seen the deco liner
on a couple of television shows
and always loved the design of it,
the art deco aspect of the vehicle
by happenstance I met somebody who
knew Randy
discovered that the vehicle was for sale
so we arranged a meeting and worked out a deal.
It’s an amazing vehicle
to be involved
with because
everybody smiles
profusely at it,
it just brings a lot of joy to people.
I’ve always thought of the deco liner
as Flash Gordon’s motor home.
It’s one of the coolest things about the deco liner
is the fact that you can drive it from the roof.
I always get asked
"is that legal?" Well
it’s not illegal
and it’s a very fine line
for a police man to pull you over
and write you a ticket
he’s got to put down what vehicle code
you violated,
and there’s nothing on the books
about driving a car from the roof.
And it’ll probably come as no surprise
that this isn’t Randy’s first build.
Randy: This is what I do for fun
and profit.
I actually make a living
building this crazy vehicles.
A lot of people know me for the Jay Leno tank car
that was the very first car that I built
and that really put me on the map.
Believe me when Jay Leno buys your car
he gives it a thumbs up,
you’re a hero.
So here we are in Frankenmuth
Michigan.
There’s this giant car show
really had fun bringing the deco liner
and letting everybody
see it and experience it firsthand.
Mike: When I negotiated the deal for the deco liner
I also negotiated a deal
for one of the deco pods motorbikes
and after I get to know Randy better
and got to experience the quality of his work
we created a new vehicle, a roadster,
the deco liner
is the center of attention
wherever it goes.
Randy: One of the lessons that I learned
very early on about
the deco liner
is that
there’s a certain responsibility
that comes with driving it.
I was driving it to its debut
in the Portland Art Museum
up in Portland Oregon
and I was late...
Mike: It's showtime.
Randy: And I’m mobbed at the gas station
with everybody wanting to know what this crazy thing is
so I’m finally getting fueled up
I’m like "I need to go, I need to go you guys,"
and then here comes a bus
full of thirty deaf kids,
they all surround me and the
guide is asking me questions
and he’s signing to the kids
and,
I’m in a hurry I got to go.
That’s when it really hit me,
"wow,"
"you don’t have time for thirty deaf kids?"
What’s wrong with you guy?
That’s when I realized
when you bring the circus to town,
you better have the patience
to deal with the response
the smiles and the joy
and letting the kids
go up on the upper deck
that’s what floats my boat.
It’s really an honor
and a privilege
to drive this thing,
and make people smile
and laugh wherever it goes
I’m a lucky guy.