The seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice VW Beetle describes the custom convertible as being “Super Rare and Super Unique!!!” We’ll have to see if its price tag also makes it super desirable.
In the automotive world, the ‘Malaise Era’ spanned the decade between 1973 and 1983. Automakers during that time faced daunting challenges due to the triple whammy of regulations affecting safety, fuel economy, and emissions reductions. The industry’s initial flailing attempts to meet all three criteria with cars that consumers would still want to buy resulted in some of the most ‘meh’ vehicles ever to be offered.
That’s not to say that there haven’t been some attempts to ‘lipstick the pig’ outside of the Malaise Era time frame. The 1984 Hurst/Olds we looked at yesterday is a fine example of a car gussied up, but with little performance to show for its fancy looks. It at least had a wonderfully weird three-lever Hurst sequential shifter to make it interesting. Unfortunately for its seller, you all didn’t find that, or the car overall, to be $35,000 worth of interesting. That asking price ended the day in a massive 95% ‘No Dice’ loss.
The Wiz
Today’s 1970 Volkswagen Beetle also has a Hurst shifter, although it only has one lever and it’s for the Bug’s four-speed manual transaxle, not an automatic. As you will no doubt notice, this Bug has a lot more aftermarket shenanigans going on than just its shifter.
This is claimed to be one of a handful of Speedster-bodied cars created by a company called Wizard Roadsters in Slough, Berkshire, England, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Founded by the wonderfully-named Peter Cheeseman in 1987 as The Wizard of Rods, the company initially took over production of the Rodshop Super Coupe, a kit car that gave a VW Beetle the looks of a 1940s Willys Coupe.
The Speedster soon followed, featuring many of the same lines as the Super Coupe, but topping it all off with a low-slung convertible roof. Supposedly, only about 265 of these cars were ever built before Wizard Roadsters went out of business in 1997.
Kit and Caboodle
This one is based on a 1970 Volkswagen Type 1 chassis and is powered by a 1776 cc VW flat four, which is described as being in excellent mechanical condition. Based on the photo, it sports a new one-barrel carburetor and, oddly for a 1970 engine, a coil that indicates the car has a six-volt electrical system. VW switched to 12 volts on these models back in 1968.
According to the seller, this Wizard was built by Maison De Vitesse Porsche Customizing, and offers a picture of the dash plaque denoting that origin. Just above that sits an AM/FM/cassette stereo, which appears to be from the house of Walmart, paired with small speakers in the kick panels. Interestingly, the builders decided to throw out the VW seats and replace them with a pair of bucket seats from a first-generation Ford Capri. Everything in the cabin appears to be in perfectly acceptable condition, though some age is noticeable in the chipped paint around the ignition switch and the wavy-gravy carpeting.
A ‘good weather’ collector car
On the outside, the fiberglass bodywork appears to be in great shape, with no noticeable fading in the red paint or crazing beneath it. Gold steelies underpin and allow a peek at the brakes, which appear to be discs up in the front.
Things are less copacetic when it comes to the top. According to the seller, it’s in OK condition, but it does have a small hole that makes for a bit of a screen door on a submarine situation. Owing to that, the seller advises this car to be “a ‘good weather’ classic collector’s convertible.” It does have roll-up windows in the doors; however, those are Lexan, not glass, so take it easy with the window cleaner.
On the plus side, the car comes with a clean title, current tags, and the seller’s promise that it is a “super cute, super fun, absolutely lovable custom classic Speedster VW Bug Convertible!!” advising that it is “Turn-key ready to drive and enjoy immediately!! 🙂 :-)” Yes, it’s apparently deserving of two smiley face emojis.
Super rare
As noted, this Wizard is appreciably rare. That’s part of what makes it so interesting. The other bit is its weirdly appealing kit car bodywork that makes it stand out from the crowd. Being as simple as a pimple, this VW could be used as a weekend cruiser or a show car. The question for us all is whether or not it has enough appeal to command its $8,995 asking price.
What’s your take on this Wizard and that nearly nine-grand price tag? Does that feel like a fair price for such a unique car? Or does such an amount make you immune to this Wizard’s spell?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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