AUSTIN, Texas — The Schaeffer family has an annual tradition. Sally Schaeffer, a 1967 University of Texas at Austin graduate, exchanges a card with her husband, Gene Schaeffer, on Christmas. Typically, the card would simply read “I love you,” but in 2012, Sally was caught off guard by what was inside — she found a picture of a Volkswagen cut from a magazine. It was colored burnt orange and white with a Bevo decal sticker on the side.
“I was so excited, I started crying just thinking about it,” Sally said.
Gene secretly bought the 1961 Volkswagen on July 12, 2012, for about $4,000 from acquaintances in Dripping Springs. When he acquired the bus, the wheels were about a foot deep into mud. It didn't have an interior, front seats or a bumper, and the engine wasn’t running.
Because Sally is a die-hard UT fan, Gene knew he wanted to design the bus completely with Longhorn-themed colors and decorations.
“Everybody loves a funky old bus, they’re very popular,” Gene said. “I had the pleasure of knowing that she was going to enjoy it. She’s a good wife and I wanted to make sure that she had something that really meant something to her.”
He made a deal with two men who worked on Porsches and Volkswagens from their own home to help with the redesign and restoration. Gene expected the bus to be completed around the new year, but it took longer.
After taking weekly trips to Dripping Springs to check on its progress, the Volkswagen was officially completed four years later.
“It was a real struggle to get it to where it is today,” Gene said. “My blue jeans were covered with oil and grease and grime. There was a lot of energy and effort resourcing the parts.”
When Sally laid her eyes on the finished product, she was stunned.
“I loved it,” Sally said. “I said, ‘oh my gosh, it’s the perfect burnt orange color. That’s hard to come by.’ It just looked so good, and we started driving it around all over town.”
The bus is a walk-through, meaning that the driver and passenger can directly walk to the back of the vehicle. The entire exterior is burnt orange and white, and the customized cushions on the inside are designed with a Longhorn logo-themed checkerboard fabric.
The Schaeffers have been Texas football season ticket holders since around 1998. For the first couple of years they had the Bevo Bus, they would bring it to every home game and park it at the entrance to Sholtz Garten, a restaurant and bar located less than a mile from Darrell K Royal Stadium.
Sally said hundreds of people would ask to take pictures with the Bevo Bus.
“They loved it, and people wanted to buy it,” Sally said. “All these people would post their selfie pictures (with the bus).”
The Schaeffers are considering moving out of state in the coming years, so they think it is time to pass the Bevo Bus on to another die-hard UT football fan.
“It’s time to pass the bus off to someone else,” Gene said. “We’ve had a lot of fun in it, but it’s time for it to have a new home.”
They are looking to sell it for $45,000 and can be contacted at hugos40@att.net for more information.
