Many one-off custom-car projects start with a donor car. Time and time again, car builders seeking a versatile and affordable donor vehicle look to the Volkswagen’s Classic Beetle. The original bug entered the United States in 1950. It became an unexpected hit due to its modest size, reasonable price, and homely appearance. Those same qualities make Beetle projects extremely popular.
For many gearheads (especially aspiring shade tree mechanics), the Beetle’s simplicity is its most compelling trait. Volkswagen Classic Beetle parts are easy to obtain, and the mechanics of the air-cooled Beetle are not complicated.
Back in an age when practically anybody could change points and plugs, or replace a set of drum brake pads, John Muir’s ultra-popular Bettle repair manual, “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot,” became a bible. The book, first published in 1969, used hand-lettering and illustrations reflective of the period—selling more than 2 million copies.
Classic Beetles, even ones in rough shape, can make a good (and affordable) rolling chassis.
Beetle Projects: Easy to Fix, Great to Modify
The Beetle was cheap from the start, but used examples are even cheaper. More than 21 million Beetles were manufactured from numerous plants around the world. The last year of sales for the original bug in the US was 1979.
A damaged Beetle project car in the junkyard doesn’t necessarily bother a builder just wanting a rolling chassis. Bidding on this rough and rusted 1972 Classic Beetle with a Pinto engine currently stands at, ahem, $135.83.
The Meyers Manx Inspired Many Imitators
A common change was to strip off the old sheet metal, slap down a fiberglass “sand buggy” body, and add a roll bar—to produce a fair-weather cruiser for the beach or dunes. The Meyers Manx emerged as the first kit-based Beetle project buggy in 1964, but scores of copies soon hit the streets. The lightweight body and air-cooled engine are ideal for off-road antics, even if the 40-horsepower powerplant lacks oomph.
Beetle Projects Run the Gamut
Imaginative Beetle project builders didn’t stop there. The trunk space in front (a.k.a. “frunk”) opened up countless possibilities—for transplanting an engine to the front or reshaping the hood to a more traditional boxy shape. One popular mod is to add a Rolls-Royce-styled grill for a mashup of frugal and fancy. Other builders squeezed in American V-8 engines for outrageous power increases, like this 1975 custom Beetle hot rod with a 1969 Ford Windsor 351.
A mash-up of a 1974 Beetle and a 1940s delivery wagon
The seller of this 1940s-style delivery wagon party bug, now listed on eBay Motors, drove VWs but always liked the vibe of cars from the 1930s and 1940s. So he bought the donor car already modified with a fiberglass panel-delivery kit, worked on its engine, and added the patina finish.
Need some Beetle project inspiration? There are usually several dozen Classic Beetles, many remade into custom creations, to peruse or buy on eBay Motors.
See Volkswagen Beetle (Classic) for sale on eBay.
