Thursday Twister: Humble Beginnings
The Volkswagen Type 1 (aka Beetle, Bug, Fusca, Käfer, Pulga, Tortuga, or Vochitot) was born from the collaborative efforts of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, and Erwin Komenda, (possibly with Hans Ledwinka and Josef Ganz) around 1939
and soldiered on until Mexicano producción fue muerto en 2003. When people say millions were built, it isn’t an exaggeration, because over 21 million were born in a dozen factories around the world in a 64 year production run. For today’s Thursday Twister topic we are building a list of all kit cars built using a Type 1 donor.
The Beetle was a simple car and used examples littered junk yards, parking lots, and garages around the globe, so it makes sense that they were used for kit cars, like the Glockler Spyder. It may have looked like a Porsche 550, but the pan, engine, suspension was borrowed from a used Type 1.
Now we make a list of all the Beetle based kit cars.
Standard contest rules are as follows:
1. Only one car per comment (be sure to hit the refresh button on your
browser before you post in case someone else has posted since you loaded
the page). Do not nest the replies, just reply to the main post — if
you reply to someone elses comment it should be in reference to his
comment and not another submission.
2. You can post again, but only after someone else posts another car. (Rule 2 Abrogated for the summer.)
3. The contest will end in on Sunday, July 12th, 2015.
4. One submission per kit car model/generation.
5. Each car must be for a company that created running/driving cars (no clay model prototypes) and
at least two must have been built of that particular car (no one-offs).
6. No anonymous submissions — pick a name with the Name/URL dropdown.
Ready….Set…Kit!
Sterling.
Though that Scooby tube frame looks spectacular.
sterlingsportscars.com/
So, apparently this was a VW-based kit at some point:
[img] flickr.com/photos/splattergraphics/3689557183/[/img]
Ughhhhh!
Looks like that Flickr url may have bombed. Here is an article about the atrocity:
streetlegaltv.com/news/a-vw-based-camaro-kit-car-yup/
"According to the seller, this kit was made by the Kar Mfg. company in Monson, Massachusetts, and very few were made." Be thankful for small mercies…..
Please don't do that around lunchtime.
At this point I'm inclined to think the best 'kit' of all is a rebuildable stock '69-71 Bug.
Bradley GT
[img] 2.bp.blogspot.com/-5pjoBUzqM6U/Tupd6TXVzmI/AAAAAAAABZg/wsWJgrpOZL0/s1600/B26574.jpg [/img]
Brubaker Box
[img] egarage.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Brubaker-Box-VIDEO.jpg[/img]
I love lumber bumpers.
And of course the Bradley GT II:
[img] bradleygt2.com/photos/Striharsky/P0000234.jpg[/img]
Double-dip time – the original, maybe the best, certainly the most cloned: the Meyers Manx:
[img] i78.photobucket.com/albums/j104/ruska-b1/MeyersManx088a.jpg[/img]
[img] images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/218419.jpg[/img]
Boonie Bug:
[img] i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–7AqiOhMN–/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/1279536021873608595.jpg[/img]
Phoenix II:
[img] rqriley.com/imagespln/cyr-phx2.jpg[/img]
Yeah, just go here and look around a while:
Sweet. My favorite is the mini-home camper conversion. Looks like it has more blind spots than a WWI tank, but cool as hell.
Well that just took a bite outta my productivity. Errrrr…no DT post for tomorrow guys, I'm gonna be reading about a DIY Spa/Smoker combo — aka the Hot Rub. -Vince
VW Cobra kit car on Ebay.
[img] i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/NhoAAOSwNSxVXUdu/$_1.JPG?set_id=880000500F [/img]
That looks kinda wicked, simple and light enough that a VW pan and a 2180 motor could kick ass…
The Coyote
[img] 3.bp.blogspot.com/_xPX7McZrTsU/TUtty2eZkEI/AAAAAAAABag/i9asIPt6ITI/s1600/coyotecar.jpg [/img]
Happy Collector Car Appreciation Day!
youtube.com/watch?v=j91KeBdli9g
Invader GT.
[img] priceofhistoys.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/yellow-invader-gt-11.jpg[/img]
I know this is not officially a kit car submission, but we can't ignore the other mods. I had a series of different color bugs in high school (my grandfather restored them and handed me the extras as he worked on them). I always considered the 41 ford hood treatment from J.C. Whitney, but never had the cash. I guess some people still sell that stuff – check out the Auburn treatment??? bgwspectre.com/hoods.html