TheSamba.com :: View topic - anyone have any info on a CUMA buggy body ?

Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:09 pm

I bought a buggy project this past weekend. It does have an id tag on the fire wall. The tag reads Cuma Specialty co. Kermit Texas along with a few stamped numbers. Has anyone else ever seen a buggy buy this company or have any info about these buggies? Love to find out a little more about it. Thanks Lee

Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:08 am

weim wrote: I bought a buggy project this past weekend. It does have an id tag on the fire wall. The tag reads Cuma Specialty co. Kermit Texas along with a few stamped numbers. Has anyone else ever seen a buggy buy this company or have any info about these buggies? Love to find out a little more about it. Thanks Lee

Can you take a close up picture of the tag?
You also might want to ask the same question on www.dunebuggyarchives.com

Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:51 pm

Got some cool information for you on Cuma. Sold under the name Cuma Specialty Co.
From what I have gathered the company built a Manx clone in 1968
and jumped into the buggy building business by just removing the badge bump on the hood. The Cuma was named after the mythological city state where the goddess Apollo lived.

The company building the bodies was called Paisano Fiberglass.
The body patent was applied for as you can see on your serial tag.
None was issued.

Instead the company began to advertise a different a very (copyright clean) dune buggy body called the Paisano. The changed the company name to VWC(uma) Specialty CO.

The Cuma was never advertised or national distributed as far as the DBA knows. Your example maybe the ONLY one left.

The Paisano buggies were featured in magazines from late 68 thru 1971.

Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:23 pm

I have a red one on file but the serial tag is fuzzy. The red one has the hood bump so this is a later VWC body.
It looks as if the tag says paisano and Fiera,Siera? then the box would be checked as to the model the tag would have been installed onto. If this is the case then your body would be a Fiera,Siera?

I need more picts of your body (dash, tail) as well as the id tag to know for sure.
Bart

I have a bunch of Paisano on file also - very unique

Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:53 am

thanks for all the info so far. Here is a few more pics of what I have. I hope to start rebuilding the buggy this summer.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:16 pm

I used to sand drag with the guys from CUMA back in the 80's. It was a partnership between Mike Cubine and Jim Maness. CUbine-MAness=CUMA.
I beleive Cubine is out of the busness, but he does still live in Kermit, TX..
Jim Maness now lives in Odessa, Tx., and is still in the VW/ dunebuggy business. I still talk to Jim fairly often and he does all my VW machine work.
Anyway, I'll bet He can tell you what you want to know about these buggies.
You can reach him @ Maness Enterprises in Odessa. (432) 362-0021.
He's not a big "talker", but is a nice guy.

Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:58 pm

The CUMA company had two body styles. The Paisano (compatriot ) and the Fiera (wild animal) By the indication on the serial tag yours is the Fiera.

Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:06 pm

This is so cool. John Cubine was my grandfather and he is the reason I love Volkswagen. He passed away when I was young but Mike only passed in 2012. My mom and her brother still own some of the properties in Kermit and I believe there are still a few CUMA bodies left :P

Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:15 am

I was very sorry to hear about Mike passing, he had to be fairly young. I was told he had a heart attack but never knew for sure. I am very sorry for your family"s lose.
It would be cool to have one of those bodies.

Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:49 am

That's cool if bodies are still around , see if you can snap some pics! I'll archive them for future CUMA owners

Sun Feb 22, 2015 10:16 pm

GoCentipede wrote: This is so cool. John Cubine was my grandfather and he is the reason I love Volkswagen. He passed away when I was young but Mike only passed in 2012. My mom and her brother still own some of the properties in Kermit and I believe there are still a few CUMA bodies left :P

I used to work closely with CUMA during the early 80's. I owned the Buggy Barn in Odessa. During a typical month I installed 3 or 4 CUMA motors in sick bugs. I have met your mom when she lived in Odessa and was pin striping cars. I knew her 2 brothers, Mike and Sam, too. Jim and John did quality work. Their motors were top notch and very well built. I saw Jim a few years back when we both had jury duty. He was still working on VWs. I found this link and joined SAMBA after looking at a pretty nice VWC Paisano on Craigslist. I am thinking of owning another VW and noticed one for sale. John told me about the short lived Paisano business, but I never saw one until now. I may make an offer.

Wed May 18, 2016 2:50 am

I have a cuma body i will be rebuilding here it does not have the tag anymore so im a little confused it has the hood bump on itso that would make it a Fiera ? Not sure

Thu Jan 20, 2022 6:17 pm

Here's a CUMA/VWC Body. CUMA and VWC are the same company that was based out of Kermit Texas. My tag states VWC. My body is the Fiera. Chevy 2.8 160HP.