Video for build a VW Beetle Sleeper from 31hp to 359 hp.
What happens when you hide a WRX STI engine in a beetle? You get 359 hp that will outrun a Porsche 911! Video for build a VW Beetle Sleeper from 31hp to 359 hp.
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A factory Baja and a '74 Sunbug. The Baja and Sunbug sat a little more than an inch higher than other Beetles.
In 1937, the government of Germany–then under the control of Adolf Hitler of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party–forms a new state-owned automobile company, then known as Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH. Later that year, it was renamed simply Volkswagenwerk, or “The People’s Car Company.” Originally operated by the German Labor Front, a Nazi organization, Volkswagen was headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. In addition to his ambitious campaign to build a network of autobahns and limited access highways across Germany, Hitler’s pet project was the development and mass production of an affordable yet still speedy vehicle that could sell for less than 1,000 Reich marks (about $140 at the time). To provide the design for this “people’s car,” Hitler called in the Austrian automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche. In 1938, at a Nazi rally, the Fuhrer declared: “It is for the broad masses that this car has been built. Its purpose is to answer their transportation needs, and it is intended to give them joy.” However, soon after the KdF (Kraft-durch-Freude)-Wagen(“Strength-Through-Joy” car) was displayed for the first time at the Berlin Motor Show in 1939, World War II began, and Volkswagen halted production. After the war ended, with the factory in ruins, the Allies would make Volkswagen the focus of their attempts to resuscitate the German auto industry. Volkswagen sales in the United States were initially slower than in other parts of the world, due to the car’s historic Nazi connections as well as its small size and unusual rounded shape. In 1959, the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach launched a landmark campaign, dubbing the car the “Beetle” and spinning its diminutive size as a distinct advantage to consumers. Over the next several years, VW became the top-selling auto import in the United States. In 1960, the German government sold 60 percent of Volkswagen’s stock to the public, effectively denationalizing it. Twelve years later, the Beetle surpassed the longstanding worldwide production record of 15 million vehicles, set by Ford Motor Company’s legendary Model T between 1908 and 1927. With the Beetle’s design relatively unchanged since 1935, sales grew sluggish in the early 1970s. VW bounced back with the introduction of sportier models such as the Rabbit and later, the Golf. In 1998, the company began selling the highly touted “New Beetle” while still continuing production of its predecessor. After nearly 70 years and more than 21 million units produced, the last original Beetle rolled off the line in Puebla, Mexico, on July 30, 2003.
The world’s most famous water “bug” has surfaced on Ebay. One of the Volkswagen Beetles built for the “Herbie the Love Bug” movie franchise was sold Thursday on the auction site for $32,100. It was featured in the 1980 film “Herbie Goes Bananas” and was one of two specially built for a scene where it sails through the Panama Canal. According to the seller, the 1963 car had its engine, transmission and front suspension removed, and fiberglass wheels added, to help it float, and was sold as a parts car without title when production of the film was complete. From there, it ended up in California wrecking yard where it sat for several years. A previous owner purchased it and replaced the rotted floorpan, which brought with it a new title. The current seller then added a working drivetrain with a 1.6-liter engine and 4-speed transmission. The car runs and is road legal, features the faux-rusty paint job seen on screen, and was sold with a collection of extra parts that were used during filming. And if its authentication documents aren’t good enough for you, it has a remote control that can move its headlights back and forth and use its windshield washers to squirt people. It is a water bug, after all.
With bus selecta you can build almost any Volkswagen. http://www.busselecta.com My '62 Beetle My '74 Sunbug Dads old fastback
Nostalgia has value, but only to a pointBy Robert Klara September 30, 2014, 11:38 AM EDT When Volkswagen announced last that it would be bringing back the “Beetle Classic Model” in 2015, some Bug fans probably bugged out. Wait—the real classic Beetle with manual window cranks and the engine in the trunk? Coming back? Well, sure. Kind of. Diehard fans of the car’s golden era may be disappointed because you won’t see running boards or rubber radio knobs on this version of the classic. Volkswagen wasn’t about to put the true old Beetle back into showrooms. It has, however, awakened to the fact that yesteryear has value. The 2015 Limited Edition 1.8T Beetle will feature several design elements that are throwbacks to the days when gas was 27 cents a gallon and health food meant Twinkies. VW has brought back the car’s 17-inch aluminum wheels and basic paint colors (like white and black, for example). Inside the car, designers created two-tone seats featuring checked upholstery and two-tone brown “Sioux” leatherette. Great stuff—so why not take it even further? Because there’s a limit to how much nostalgia customers are willing to embrace, that’s why. Take, for example, VW’s 1967 model: “long bantered about as the best year of the Beetle,” according to enthusiast Eric Shoemaker, whose website is a loving chronicle of a life spent driving his grandfather's '67 bug. The car is an indisputable classic—but how many drivers today would want to deal with a 53-horsepower engine? Or a top speed of 82 mph? Or an AM-only radio? The 2015 Beetle boasts a multifunction steering wheel and GPS navigation. In 1967, the steering wheel had one function (turning the car) and the navigation system was the road map in the glove box. In other words, fandom—even on the scale of the Beetle—can only get you so far, and VW had a fine line to walk. “We didn’t want to turn people away by offering only what the Beetle was in the past,” the car’s product planner Kerry Deutsch told us. But by sprinkling a few retro touches on an otherwise modern car, VW gets mileage out of both past and present. “We can appeal to a younger demographic who want their cars to be modern, but by putting in the vintage feel, we can appeal to the older demographic who are nostalgic for the vehicle.” This sort of balancing act is one that numerous heritage brands have learned to navigate. Gibson still produces the classic 1959 Les Paul sunburst guitar, for example, but its “vintage tone” comes from state-of-the-art humbucker pickups. Converse still makes canvas athletic shoes that look like they walked off the set of Hoosiers, but many of them now feature Nike’s Lunarlon sole padding. There is, however, one thing that all Beetle fans wish would come back from 1967—the price. Forty-seven years ago, the Beetle's showroom price started at $1,758. Adjusted for inflation, that comes to $12,519 today—nearly $13,500 cheaper than the 2015 Beetle's starting price. Ok, the time has passed. A few custom '14 Beetles have been turning up. So, here we have a few. This is my favorite, New beetle with old school style. This one looks like a mini 911. New Baja. They even modify the new beetles into trucks, limos and boats. Well... Maybe not boats. I really want this one. I know these aren't 2014 beetles, although the modifications can be done just the same. VW Fact #282: VWs destined for export were sprayed with a protective paraffin-based coating, which was washed off at the dealership. The Rometsch is a very rare Volkswagen model. Considered the “Holy Grail” of the Volkswagen World, there are approximately 30 still in existence. The Rometsch is a hybrid of sorts, similar to that of the Hebmueller. Both cars are, of course, German-built using the Type I Beetle chassis and use related drivetrain and running gear. However, unlike the Heb, which utilizes much of the Beetle’s body panels, the Rometsch, is designed uniquely from the ground up with body symmetry all its own. The car is the dream of German coachbuilder Friedrich Rometsch, who wanted to build an affordable alternative to the flashy sports cars of the day. The Volkswagen chassis proved to be an ideal starting point and production soon began in 1950. While the Rometsch Coupe was produced for roughly 10 years, the cabriolet version was significantly more popular. Unfortunately, in lieu of the climactic post war period and the advent of the Berlin Wall, the Rometsch factory eventually ceased production (due to a separation of nearly 70 percent of its workforce). VW Fact #401: In 1964 "Device AB for Hand Operating of Controls of VW by Disabled Persons" sold for about 382 DM. It could be purchased directly from the German manufacturer and installed at the VW dealer. |