Finally a VW Topic!

[ChopStix]

This pic screams "I'm getting good MPG!!!...." -lol

[freebeard]

The flag says VW, but the V8 says Tatra.

One of my all-time favorites. I know the guy. He posts on thesamba. He used to delivery chicken eggs to the place I worked in it.



Surf's Up!

[ChopStix]

I put picture's of that Tiki Bug on here last year. Its pretty awesome except I don't like the surf board on the side. Surf boards are a bit too Socal for me. But I like the Tiki theme otherwise.

What do you know about all these tank bugs?

[freebeard]

For me, it's like putting a big-block Chevy in the front. Most of the charm goes away. Here's a Messerschmitt I like better



Here's a concept and proof that it's buildable

[ChopStix]

Forget Gas Mileage, these pics are all about air cooled HP!

[freebeard]

The one with the red and black paint and LED tail lights is sorta nifty.



Note the exhaust in front of the rear tire. There's room for twin turbos in there.

[ChopStix]

I love those bug-pickups, but its a shame there's not room in the bed to actually haul stuff or else I would own one. The same goes for the lack of aftermarket support for overdrive transmissions. A 6 spd swap would be sweet!

[freebeard]

I'd go with a Type III cooling system and a side-draft dual-choke Weber carb or EFI throttle body; under a flat bed.

I liked the 5-speed conversion I got in the 90s. With 185-60s, it shifted up into 5th at 85mph. But driving around town, there are two gears to choose from instead of one. Unfortunately, the 2nd gear syncro problems have persisted through the conversion and a rebuild. If it goes back into something, I'll just live with the 3-2 downshift.

You started the thread with a brown Beetle/Squareback hybrid. Maybe it's worth pointing out that the BGW fiberglass panel conversion has ideal aerodynamics, as I determined with the experiment I showed in Permalink #22:



It smoothly continues the taper of the body. An added 3ft boat tail would be perfection.

[ChopStix]

Actually I already have my next project car and unfortunately its not a VW. But I've been keeping it on the down low as I'm not ready to start on it yet. However I REALLY like those beetle conversion bodies. I would own/drive one daily.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Up

Originally Posted by ChopStix

More power, smaller size!

Sometimes I still consider to do a similar project, but I would rather get either a Kombi or a 4-door Brasília to fit a V-Twin into. Would also not disconsider to use a liquid-cooled engine sourced from some Japanese motorcycle instead of a Harley-Davidson boat anchor.

Originally Posted by freebeard

I would have guessed some little Beetle-engined econobox from South America; Gogol or whatever.

The Gol had always been front-engined, even the earlier air-cooled BX.

Originally Posted by freebeard

Maybe it's Gurgel? No they were front-engined:

I'm not sure about the BR-800 and its derivatives ever being exported, but anyway, there were some earlier rear-engined Gurgel utility vehicles and also a small coupé, all based on the Beetle driveline. Then came the Carajás SUV still based on Volkswagen mechanical components which was the first front-engined Gurgel, culminating with the BR-800 econobox as a "technological independence" milestone as the late João Augusto Conrado do Amaral Gurgel used to say.

Here's a Gurgel X-12 that I spotted last year near my mom's apartment


Carajás 2-door SWB, it retained the rear-mounted transaxle but the engine was now a front-mounted VW EA827


Gurgel Supermini, a slightly-improved version of the BR-800