This Volkswagen Bug Is So Hot They Had To Cut The Roof Off To Keep The Driver Cool

Custom cars can and should be indicative of the time period in which they were built. The pure optimism and over-the-top energy held in this custom 1971 Volkswagen Bug is pure early-1990s, like a key bump at a music producer’s house party. This real teal machine looks like a toy car from every angle, and has the stance to match it. If my mother had presented me with a 1:12 scale radio-controlled version of this car in 1993 I would have gone out of my mind with joyous enthusiasm. In an era where every new car is designed to be as aggressive as possible, drive something that will make people smile. This car is the antidote to everything wrong in modern society. Let the sea breeze blow through your hair as you gently waft down a beach-side highway. You’ve had a rough day, you deserve it. 

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A Volkswagen Beetle is already a very fun car, but to stretch the whimsy to this extent is an incredible use of custom car money. This car obviously isn’t about going fast or making big numbers, it’s just a fun way to drive around. By losing the roof, 14 inches out of the car’s length, and cutting the windshield down a bit, the car is probably a bit lighter than stock, and with some performance upgrades to the suspension and engine, it’s probably a bit quicker than it would have been new in 1971, but it will still be dusted by any modern minivan at a drag strip. Who cares? Just putter around and enjoy how much attention this bright buggy on three-spoke wheels will get. 

This isn’t a car with a purpose, and I think that’s what appeals to me about it. You don’t drive this car to get anywhere or pick anything up, you just drive it for the inherent fun of driving it. I suppose you could strap a surf or kiteboard to the back and head to the beach, that’s as close to a purpose as this car ever had. Though with three-spoke directional Enkei wheels and an exhaust note that sounds like a 1950s race car, maybe the purpose of this car was to stop fools dead in their tracks and make them stare. We all need a car like that at some point in our lives. It’s just more fun that way. 

If you want to own this wild teal dream, it’s available for bidding on Bring a Trailer right now. As of this writing it is only bid up to $5,000 and it’s selling with no reserve, so you might be able to get a ton of good time for a very cheap price.