Beetles: Custom and Extreme

With over 21 million produced between 1938 and 2001, the Volkswagen Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single design platform in history and as such, many of these millions have been modified. Volkswagen translates literally as “People’s Car”, with the Beetle, or Type 1 as it was originally known, intended to be the perfect all-rounder family car. While even today it remains a great all-rounder, the aftermarket industry has greatly stretched the boundaries of this definition with enthusiasts taking it upon themselves to prove the platform in pretty much every facet of the modified car scene.

As the resident Volkswagen fanatic I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you a couple of brilliant bugs that perfectly exemplify the versatility of the platform and take modification to a level that its original designer, Ferdinand Porsche, would have never dreamed.

Wassim’s ’61 Show Stopper

We recently had Wassim from Vollks.com.au and his stunning ’61 bug in our studio and I instantly fell in love.

Getting up close the first thing that struck me was the attention to detail throughout the car, with Wassim sourcing all parts needed through his business and using it as a rolling testament to the quality of parts he can provide.

The build was largely carried out by X Customs, managing to remove the roof without making it look tacky like many other chop tops you see getting around. The body off pan restoration was fully documented in the above video and demonstrates the time and effort Wassim put into creating something truly different.

With the familiar curving roof line absent, I didn’t initially realise how low this thing was until Wassim pointed out to me that he has dropped it a total of 6 inches! It has a menacing stance to say the least, achieved in part by an adjustable narrowed front beam and set off by a set of classic Empi GT-5s.

This low ride height does have its drawbacks though, with this gorgeous Sidewinder exhaust system the third to trumpet the glorious dak-dak tone in place of its scraped to death forebears. Of course, that doesn’t really matter when you can just grab another one off the shelf.

If you haven’t gotten it by now, pretty much every nut and bolt on this stunner has been sourced from Vollks.com.au. See the LED tail lights? Normally they would set you back around $200 from an American retailer but Wassim has them listed for a mere $79, with every cent of it staying on our shores.

There has been a trend with the favourable exchange rate to buy parts from overseas suppliers as even including shipping, it would be much cheaper than physical stores over here. Operating solely online, Wassim has managed to bypass the costs involved with a shop front and offers pretty much everything the U.S. shops do along with some custom parts of his own for a fraction of the price.

Things like the custom billet knobs throughout the interior or the custom gauge bracket below the steering column are great touches to finish off a clean build and can be found on his site along with a huge catalogue of parts from quintessential VW brands such as Scat, Berg and Empi.

PROBAG’S SLAMMED SKNHED

The guys at Probag created this bit of bagged brilliance a couple of years back and I have to say, it is easily my favourite Volksrod.

Dubbed ‘SKNHED’, this thing is offensive in every sense of the word and to be honest, that’s exactly how it should be!

To show off their fabrication skills a full 7-inches were taken out of the roof height, a huge chop in anyone’s book.

Probag’s patented “bag-overs” take pride of place in this beautifully constructed front end while a large air tank keeps plenty of pressure on tap for quick height adjustments.

Volksrods aren’t normally my flavour but there is something about this one that just hits a sweet spot.

BRAD YOUNG’S WHEEL-STANDING FEATHERWEIGHT

So far you would be forgiven for thinking that the world of Volkswagens was all about aesthetics but Brad Young from Westside Mufflers would be more than happy to prove you wrong. With a damn serious dry-sumped 2386cc out back and bugger all weight up front, it’s no wonder this thing pops a mean wheelie.

“The thing weighs 1410 pounds with me in it,” says Brad. “What’s that, like 640kg? I weigh 80kg so you do the math!”

Sometimes the lack of weight can be a bit of a problem though, with a whole heap of pedalling needed to keep the front wheels down enough for a clean pass. Still, an 11.0 @ 119mph isn’t too bad at all

RUDI FRANK’S SUPERSPRINT SCORCHER

A straight line isn’t where the Beetle excels though, with the engine’s weight over the rear wheels providing unbelievable amounts of traction. Rudi Frank is one of many to take advantage of this, competing in the NSW Sports Sedan series since 2001. In his years of racing he has taken out 2 NSW championships in the under 2L class and was a regular sight at the late Oran Park right up until the end.

Rudi has since stepped up to the 2L-4L class though, building a mental 2275cc engine that puts out 340hpatw on 17psi!

So far he has ran a PB of 1:06 around Wakefield Park although once the teething issues pass, he is confident that he will be down around 1:02 which for those of you not familiar with the track is absolutely honking!

DRIFT BEETLES?!

Yes that’s right, people have even been crazy enough to drift these things albeit only a small few. One particularly famous example in the VW scene is Christian Stelzer’s 1303 from the motherland. Powered by 2.6L Type 4 engine, this beast dubbed “1303RS” gained web notoriety for numerous videos of it sliding away and dropping skids.

This particular video shows a gorgeously clean slide which is no small feat in a rear heavy bug! The footage comes from the 2003 Drift Challenge held at the world famous Hockenheimring.

It may have taken almost a decade but someone in Australia has decided to follow suit, sort of. Performance Garage’s resident drifter Steve Pembrey has been tinkering away in his shed, dropping a Beetle body over a KE70 chassis! The Frankenstein will be powered by a hand-me-down turbo 4A out of his AE86 drift car and it should be pretty cool when finished.

So there you have it, a couple of my favourite examples that demonstrate the adaptability of the old Beetle platform. I’m always keen to see something Volkswagen related though, so if  you’ve got some other examples of Beetles doing things they weren't designed to or something you think I would enjoy let me know in the comments below.