Another replica, a 1952 MG-TD in this instance, is built on a VW chassis.
In the late 1970s, Volkswagen Beetles were thick on the ground and cheap to buy. Many had rusted out, but their frames and drivetrains were still good. As a result, VW Bugs presented an opportunity for startup coachworks to create new bodies in the still relatively new medium of fiberglass.
Dune buggies were one popular route, but so were replicas of the MG-TD—like this 1952 replica built on a VW chassis and now listed on eBay Motors. A leading practitioner was Florida-based Classic Motor Carriages, which built a bunch of VW-based bodies to fool your friends—including versions of the Porsche 356, various Bugattis, the TD, and the Gazelle, a two-tone interpretation of an elegant 1929 Mercedes-Benz SSK roadster. They could be built from kits with a $15 manual.
The almost pristine Gazelle powered by a 1,500-cc VW motor, shown above and below, is now offered on eBay Motors. Bidding is heavy but still quite reasonable.
The body is no-rust fiberglass.
The Gazelle’s lovely chromed supercharger pipes are superfluous because the engine is in the back. But Gazelles could also be built from a Ford Pinto donor—with the engine in front.
According to vendor Austin Hamilton, who’s in sales at Primo Classics International in Lakeland, Fla., the car’s drivetrain identifies the donor as a 1966 to 1970 Beetle. The car was first registered in 2009, so perhaps it was built up around that time.
The interior is nicely appointed, with bucket seats and a wood-paneled dash with plenty of instruments.
“It has nice overall build quality,” Hamilton said. “It drives well. It’s faster than a Beetle would be because it’s lighter. You can take it on the highway, and it’s capable of 70 to 80 miles per hour.” He added, “It’s definitely unusual. You don’t see many of them.”
The 1500-cc VW motor is from a ’66-’70 Bug.
1984 brochure from Classic Motor Carriages
Primo says the replica is “tons of fun to drive,” and sports a four-speed manual transmission, chromed wire wheels with new tires, a new battery, and an electric fuel pump. Since the Gazelle is a VW Beetle under the skin, it’s mechanically well supplied on eBay Motors. You can find Beetle cars and parts—as well as replicas of Shelby Coupes, Lambos, and other models.
CMC was preceded by the Excalibur, the car that arguably started the “neoclassic” movement. The first cars were Studebaker products, but after that GM provided engines of up to 300 horsepower.
CMC was once one of the biggest vendors of specialty cars, with a 160,000-square-foot manufacturing plant outside Miami. At its peak, CMC was selling hundreds of kits a month, but legal problems bedeviled the company. The remains of the company became Street Beasts after a 1999 judgment, but that too eventually faded into history. CMC is gone, but many of its creations are still on the road—although few as resplendent as the currently listed Mercedes-Benz Gazelle replica powered by a 1-5-liter VW Beetle engine.
