Because the VW Beetle is so easy to work with, it isn't surprising that some people have decided to customize them in various ways. Back in 1972 I was driving around in a Bug, sharing it with my older brother, Steve. One day he was driving along I-75 when the person in front of him hit the brakes. Steve easily managed to stop but the car behind him didn't. In fact, he hit Steve and drove him into the car in front of him.
While there was no structural damage there was some pretty substantial body and even a little engine damage. Instead of paying to get the traditional Beetle body repaired, Steve and I found a fiberglass "mud buggy" body that featured flared fenders and a half open engine cover. We bought heavy duty shocks and big old fat mud dauber tires. The we went to work on the engine. Using what was easily available and affordable we "souped" it up; well, by VW standards.
For a couple of years we kept that car, even though I eventually bought a Ford Maverick and Steve got a Mercury Capri (which I would later own). We would run it off road and take it to some nearby gravel pits where, along with some dune buggy owners, we would fly over the piles of dirt and rock.
Here are some examples of what other people have done with their Beetles. All of these were on display at the recent 27th Annual Volkswagen and Porsche Reunion.
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