The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the world’s bestselling vehicles. It sold in its tens of millions due to its great practicality, value for money and ease of use for a family. The car could be used for short trips to the school or the market, but it could also be used for long road trips. However, young adults who bought the Beetle felt that it would be perfect for….. other stuff.
Perhaps one of the most famous modifications of the Beetle is the Dune Buggy. The original dune buggy was created by Bruce Meyers and was called the “Meyers Manx”. This dune buggy was a kit car, with a fibreglass body that could be assembled and fitted onto a VW Beetle chassis. In fact, the model was nicknamed the Bug, which lent partial inspiration to the term Buggy.
The Beetle was used for this kit car for several reasons. Firstly, Meyers felt that the rear engine layout meant that traction would be improved. Secondly, the air-cooled engine would avoid the complexities and failures of a water- cooled engine, which required a radiator that could become clogged with sand. Another major reason that the Beetle’s chassis was used is because it had a robust chassis, while repairs would not be too expensive due to the sheer presence of donor cars and spare parts. This modified beetle would be so successful, that companies would begin to copy Meyer’s design, but base it on much more sub-par chassis. The Beetle Dune Buggy remains a huge part of car culture to this day
Over in the US, hot rodding was extremely popular all through the 1930s, through to the 1970s. There, cars such as the Ford Anglia and other 1930s cars were popular among hot-rodders. However, as time went on, these cars became rarer and more expensive. As such, young people soon turned their attention to the ever-present and extremely popular Beetle.
What they discovered was that pretty much every bolted on panel could be removed, leaving you with a ‘cleaner’ appearance. Also once again, the robustness of the chassis and the ease of access to spare parts meant that the Volkswagen was extremely popular among younger people to turn into hot rods, something that, once again, is done to this day.
From just these two examples, we can see the versatility of the Beetle. It was a car that could be moulded by your imagination. And with the low maintenance costs and the accessibility of parts, this made the Beetle one of the best cars to modify. If you want to see more examples of incredible modified Beetles, just go online and prepare to have your mind blown.
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