This VW Beetle is a Sleeper
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- In our latest feature film we chat with David Partington about his 1968 VW Beetle. It is a car he has owned for fifteen years and in that time he has tastefully modified it. Watch our film to find out why this Beetle is a bit of a sleeper.
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Music credits: Slow Burn by Kevin MacLeod - incompetech.com
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#ClassicVWBeetle #VWBeetle #SleeperBeetle #VWBug #CustomBeetle
As this seems to be inching close to 500k views, I thought I’d make a brief appearance and answer some of the questions and comments that you’ve all been posting. Firstly, I’d like to say a big thank you to Niall from Take to the road who actually spotted the car parked up in London and asked to film it - he’s done a sterling job in terms of making this and also answering everyone’s comments.
To answer some of the questions that people have been asking…
I hate to break it to you, but I didn’t actually know he was going to refer to the car as a “sleeper” - so it’s amused me to read all of the comments below. Is it a sleeper, isn’t it a sleeper, I guess I’ll just leave that for you to decide. To all those who have posted nice comments, it’s much appreciated. To all the sofa mechanics who felt the need to criticise, maybe you should get off your couch and actually build a car. Just saying.
The steering wheel is an early Speedwell. They do come up for sale occasionally on The Samba if you keep an eye out.
A few people expressed concern about the position of the oil cooler under the rear wing. It’s actually been there for the best part of ten years and endured the worst of London’s speed bumps and pot holes without injury. So experience says, don’t worry.
Regarding the suspension set up, it’s about a 2” drop on the front and a stock rear suspension. It’s running 145 tyres on the front and 205’s on the back - but I’ll probably swap these out for 155’s and 195’s in the near future.
Disks brakes were a standard fitment on the bigger 1500 models sold in the UK from 1968 onwards.
Exhaust set up is an all stainless 4 into 1 header with turbo muffler from VW Speed Shop.
There’s been some people asking where to get parts. I’d say get yourself on to The Samba or VZI - there’s a wealth of knowledge and experts out there selling things.
“He never mention how many times that POS engine needed to be rebuilt.” …True I didn’t. None. But then it was probably built slightly better than yours.
“nice car, shame about the owner”. Thanks Luke and good luck with that whole ‘learning not to be a douche’ thing, I’m sure it will work out for your eventually.
“fucking hipster”. Good for you.
“I never need to wear gloves, and you won't get much warmth from fingerless lether gloves”. Yeah, ok I deserve that one. The reason is those skinny wood rims are slippery buggers but thanks for the concern.
For all those that suggested it needs a Subaru STI engine or a turbo. Sure, if that’s your thing. Like wearing a dress, it doesn’t do it for me. But you go for it.
Ok that’s it - feel free to keep amusing me with your comments and happy to try and answer anyone who has a genuine question. And Luke, I’m here for you bro if you have any further anger management issues :P
David
Thanks for stopping by David! It was great to film you and your awesome Beetle and I'm still amazed at the number of views the film has had. Getting close to 500,000 views is very very cool!
And thanks for sharing some more info on the car. It really has stoked quite a few questions hasn't it!
Just to add to the "sleeper not a sleeper" comments... for me growing up all the Beetles I ever came across were slow. That was my childhood memory of them. Cool but slow. So when I got to film your Beetle I was blown away by how rapid it was. It was bloody quick and went like a scalded cat. It's the kind of thing you have to experience for yourself. And to me it felt like a Sleeper. That was my opinion and the reason why I called it a sleeper.
And for those saying it isn't a sleeper... well we all have our own opinions... sure you can drop a Subaru STi in there and crank it up to 1,000 BHP. Great if you can do that. But it just wouldn't be a Beetle any more. But whatever floats your boat. And if you want to do that I respect your decision... I'm not going to be rude about it.
At the end of the day we all share a passion for classics. That is what its all about.
Thanks again David for sharing your passion and your Beetle on Take to the Road. I hope the Bug is going well 😎
There's no Judson in that engine bay...
It used to have one. It doesn’t any more. The original 1500 engine had the supercharger. This one doesn’t.
Take to the Road, gotcha :-)
A Judson was what I was after for my old 1500 back in the 90s, shame there are no shots of it ☺
Yeah they are pretty rare. I don’t think David kept it after he upgraded to the bigger engine. Not 100% sure though.
The bug will always have a place in my heart
Good to hear Andrew👍
Just like the Egyptians.
Did you have heart surgery?
I know I'm fashionably late to the party, but DAMN that Beetle is beautiful!
Without safety bagsand seat belt,can this car drive on American roads ?????.beetle is my favourite.
That I’m not sure about. I don’t know what the rules in the US or individual States would be on such things. Rules might be a bit more relaxed for classics like this Beetle though.
@@samgemsgems7571 In the US, automobiles only have to comply with the standards of the year in which they were made (aircraft, in contrast, may have required updates called Airworthiness Directives).
I think some commenters are misinterpreting the term, "Sleeper". A sleeper doesn't have to be the fastest car on the street. It just has to be deceptively fast for it's particular class, model or type of vehicle.
For example: Let's say that a little mo-ped (motorized bicycle) lost in drag race to a bone stock Miata, but it put up a good fight. I would still consider the mo-ped as a sleeper, because it competed far beyond it's original class and it was much faster than it appeared to be.
This car looks like a stock, 53 horsepower, 1968 Bug, because that's what it originally was. But, now it's actually a 130-ish hp Bug, that weighed only 1745 lbs in stock form. This means, it might just surprise the hell out someone, who recognized the car as a stock, 1968 Bug and tried to race against it, with their 170-180 hp, 3,000 lb compact import car. Win or lose, they would still be surprised at how quick this little car could go, when compared to a stock 68 Bug, with only 53 ponies. There are millions of sub-200 hp, compact car owners out there, with cars that weigh around 3,000 or more lbs, who would love to challenge another lower hp compact car to a race. I'm saying, this car might surprise them and that's what makes it a sleeper.
+Sky Marshall They are indeed. Thank you for explaining it so well and so politely as well. I grew up in Ireland, a country that doesn't have V8s on every corner. So for me David's Beetle is a sleeper since it is so much more powerful than its stock build, yet looks stock to the uninitiated. This Beetle would indeed surprise many and it even surprised me as I followed it on the road, I had to push to keep up with it. Which was fun :)
What ALSO mostly makes a sleeper is picking makes and models notorious for being underpowered, poor in steering/cornering, dorky, etc., as can be, and fixing these things (invisibly) with aftermarket technological upgrades that turn a golfcart into the porsche she was born to be. Sleeper owners are bushwackers, ambushers, submariners, trappers.
I’ve seen 130hp beetles run 12.5 quarter miles, not exactly slow
So that would mean that every bug I've ever owned was a "sleeper" and every bug all my VW friends have ever owned are "sleepers". If that's the case, are there any "normal" bugs?
@@ragtop63 I would consider a "normal" stock air cooled Bug to have approximately 40 to 60 horsepower. If you had one of those, then it wasn't really a sleeper. I would say that, once you start approaching the 90-100+ hp range and you reduce the weight and add lighter wheels and better tires, then you're starting to enter sleeper status, because the car would be significantly faster than what most people would expect from a Bug.
This is EXACTLY what a sleeper is. It's a car that LOOKS stock, but has often hidden modifications. It LOOKS like a nicely restored Beetle. One would never suspect that you tripled the horsepower unless you opened the back. Nicely done.
+Brian Weir Thanks for watching Brian! Completely agree with you 👍
It doesn't look stock though.
It's a nice resto-cal.
Brian Weir ,Nailed it... Some idiots haven't a clue!!
Except when you hear it.
As an owner of a 1958 VW Beetle, this is one of my favorite videos. What a beautiful machine. Great video production. I keep watching this. Must have watched it 10+ times already. Thanks! Beautiful bug.
+kevlarian That is great to hear! Delighted you love watching our Beetle film over and over... very kind of you to say :) We are very proud of it. It's one of our favourite films and we just love David's Beetle and his story.
Love how this bug has been restored - beautiful touches in the rims, steering wheel, and of course the engine. Very well done!
Thanks for watching Michael! Glad you enjoyed David’s Beetle😎👍
it's my dream to have this car..
+Dimitri Balerinas Cool Dimitri! Thanks for watching and we hope your comes true one day :)
thank you so much, one day it will happen :)
Hit me up I can build you one no problem 🇺🇲
Next summer you will be crushing in one!
The classic VW Beetle is my favorite car. Yours is a delight to see. As someone who can never legally drive, videos like this are a great treat. Thank you.
I love the vw beetle and my dad had a couple of them when I was growing up.
+ladyyuna2000 Cool! Nice to have those memories of your Dad's Beetles.
I've had 2 Beetles so far. A 74 and a 69. Can't wait to get another. Once you pop you can't stop. This time, fully restored.
Bugs are just so close to my heart.
Cool! Good luck searching for the next Bug :)
@@TaketotheRoad mii
Beautiful bug, great colour. The swage line flows perfectly from quarters to door and the bottoms of the doors and rear quarter panels align perfectly, a true quality restoration.
It is one the most beautiful Beetles that I have ever see. Cool.
Thanks Manuel! It is a real beauty for sure!
Wow a Vw Bug expert I'm a huge fan of VW Bugs
Thanks for watching Brian. Glad you enjoyed Davids Bug😎
I like what you said about 'just one more thing and it will be done'. I also like the comment about selling it, then falling in love with it all over again. Can't wait to get my hands on one. Thank you for sharing. It's a beautiful car.
Thanks for watching Robert! 😎 Glad you liked the Beetle and David's story. It sure is a beautiful Bug 👍
who the hell could dislike this awesome video?!
Thank you Rodrigo! Much appreciated :)
gorgeous......simply gorgeous..in it's simplicity....
Man, that little Bug sounded fantastic!
+GreenJeep1998 I know it sounds so cool. Much different to a standard Bug.
Lovely Beetle. I like the Porsche cooling fan addition. Also a very Nice sounding exhaust system. I have a 1916cc Stan Pobjoy race motor in my 1971 model. I did all the body, paintwork and rebuild myself. I changed out my tail lights to 1960s and widened the rear metal guards for 17" Porsche Fuchs replica wheels. Not so much a sleeper as your beauty. There is something special about driving these old Volkswagens.
great job modified your beetle like the way you want it. stock outside and great engine sound! watched your video a several times and i keep on watching it.
Thank you very much Simon and for the repeated watching😎👍Means a lot that you enjoy the Beetle film that much👊
Ignore the people that are bringing negativity to the car its a gorgeous work of art with so much character its absolutely awesome!!
Thank you! 😎 Couldn't agree more 👍
This is the style that what I want, still looks classic with cool rim. The red color isn't too bright, i like it. Congrats bro !
Very Nice.....! Just enough hp to make it seriously fun. So many people ruin the original concept of the VW beetle. You kept it close to original but added the fun factor. Well Done!
+scott moore Thanks for watching Scott👍Glad you liked this Beetle. It's a great build and we love it😎👌And yup we agree, too many get ruined. Each to their own of course but a tastefully done Bug is just awesome😎
Looks Mighty Damn Good to me. (First VW was a brand new '63, my mom's, which I learned to drive on.) Respect.
beautifully done, what a wonderful relationship he has with that bug!
Thanks a lot Paul👊👍
Good bug mate, wish you happy motoring ahead.
Still wondering who can dislike such a good video...
Very cool..brought back memories of my 70 bug. With the 1835..Engle 110 and dual dellartos it was a blast to drive !
I see the Gene Berg shifter! Thanks for buying American, Berg was one of the pioneers in VW power modification, and lord knows I bought enough engine parts from him to keep me broke for a long time. But at least I got free candies!
+Denpachii Thanks for watching! The Gene Berg shifter is very cool and looks at home on the Bug. Certainly encourages more aggressive gear changes😉 Free candies are always welcome🍬😎
I am so jealous!! Looks great, sounds amazing. And yes, nice job on video/audio production.
Thank you very much Joseph! Really appreciate that😎👍
Fuck yes. Aircool heads are aircool heads for life.
A fine build! - when I was much younger urging my 1200 up a hill, I envied the newer twin-port heads (and the two speed windshield wipers), Bot you've taken this Bug far beyond those sought after '71's!
Thanks for watching Gary! Glad you enjoyed David's Beetle😎
Absolutely beautiful automobile, I've had at least 4 beetles and 2 split window vans which I still wish I owned. Thanks that was really enjoyable ... proper flat 4 power OMG !!!
+6sexysize Glad you like David's Beetle and enjoyed our film! :) Thanks a lot for the comment, much appreciated. Sounds like you were bitten by the aircooled bugs back in the day ;)
....Today I saw...a VW Beetle...1972....Montreal, Quebec....A rare find in these parts...
+Carlos Krueger Cool! Good spot Carlos.
Thxs !!
+Carlos Krueger
There's a couple 1970's Beetle rotting away in my neighbor yard since ~1998, 55 min north of Montreal.
None for sale the guy is a hoarder. :(
...Thxs Renaud.!...At least there are some form of life for those cars....
+Carlos Krueger currently restoring my dads 1302LS cabrio ;)
Nice job. I have a '71 Super Beetle Auto Stick restored. Great little cars. 80 million sold world wide. Highest selling car ever. Great distinctive cartoonish style that always makes me smile.
Thanks Steven glad you liked it! Indeed even though VW have made so many and they've been around for so long, they still bring a smile when you see one.
I love your car .. that type 1 sound is music to my soul and spirit
tastefully done.although i am not into kdfw's i can appreciate the work and patience that has gone into this car.i hope you get to enjoy it for a long time to come and no idiot damages it on the road....or in a parking lot.
+Gizmo Thewytchdoktor Thanks for watching👍Glad you enjoyed the Beetle😎
Great video! My son and I are working on a 69 Ghia that we saved from the car crushers 👍We have some videos up and will be adding more as we progress 👍✌️
I love the car, the best looking 68 I've ever seen. But I'm partial to the earlier 50s and 60s models I built an 1855cc (78x87mm) hot rod engine when I was 18 or so. Ported and polished the heads myself, trimmed the valve guides to keep them out of the ports, Stainless exhaust valves, big cam, deep sump, 2x48 IDA webers and a per lux igniter points eliminator in a 009 distributor with a Bosch red coil, stock transaxle out of a 67 type III with long axles and 5 lug wide brake drums, should have lowered the gear ratio for drag racing but it had lots of torque so it wasn't too bad. I used to stay right up with big block Trans Ams and Camaros and ran in the 9s in an 1/8 mile. I never dyno'd it but I figure about the same, 120-130 hp. My car was a true sleeper, the body didn't look nice and shiny like your's although I wish it did. It surprised a lot of people, even a cop that caught me street racing a camaro that had numbers on his windshield where he'd just come from the drag strip. The cop said to me, "What do you have in that thing? You weren't doing too bad." I loved to just light the rear tires up when someone pulled up next to me at a stop light. It ran like a bat out of hell until they lowered pump gas from 104 octane to 95 then to 93. I want to build another, just have too many projects. I get my thrills on a 2000 Hayabusa now.
Anyway, your car fits my definition of a sleeper. Most people wouldn't think it is that fast. I like the original looking tach. The Smiths gauges match the VDO speedo almost perfectly. I think the 68 over here state side was a 1600 from the factory too but no disc brakes. I used to work on them and built lots of engines, you'd think I'd remember for sure but that was 40 yrs ago. I remember they had the dreaded H engine case/block. They pulled head studs out all the time. I'm sure when your engine was built they used a small stud case or put in stud inserts. I have a jig for drilling an tapping for inserts, done many a case and it was a good fix unless the case cracked from the giant hole you drilled in it right next to the cylinder hole. The thing to do in the states when I was doing it is to get a new, welded, clearanced small stud case to start with or if you have an unlimited budget just go with a SCAT racing case and build a 2800, if they still make them. I still like the all engine method, no turbos or super chargers. I didn't see a super charger on your engine, although you said it had one. Unless you meant the heater booster fan mounted over the engine.
Very cool dude! 😎 Your Bug sounds amazing. Nice work on it. David’s one used to have a supercharger on it but he took it off as he mentioned it made it hard to driver in city traffic. Thanks for watching and sharing your Beetle story😎👍
I love how it sounds.
+D Woods Cool! Thanks for watching 👍
beautiful vw bug! I have always loved the bug since I watched the first Herbie movie. one day I will own one
Thanks Keifer! Glad you liked it. It would be cool to own a nice Bug like that.
Sweet sounding bug!
It sure is! One of the best we've heard!
What a great car
Cheers Cam😎👍
This car is quite stunning and tastefully done. It’s my dream to have a vehicle like this as well. I guess I would consider mine “done” or “finished” when it was basically an air cooled Porsche 911 wearing a Beetle suit. 😇
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the Beetle👍Ha ha yes yours is just wearing a different suit😉
beautiful restoration, such a clean looking build, 10 out of 10 my friend, my dream is to build a spyder body on a bug chassis. i restore shelbys for now.
Thanks very much for your comment! Restoring Shelby's must be pretty cool too. Hope you get round to building your dream car. Sounds interesting!
I am 49 years old I have been in love with and building Volkswagen since I was 12 I have owned at least 30 Volkswagen personally and been around thousands if not millions of them over the years in various clubs shows on the road and throughout my love affair with Volkswagen's I have never seen one become airborne in the fashion mentioned
+CONCERNED PATRIOT Thanks for watching and sharing your passion for VW Bugs! We're big VW fans too. Though we've only owned 2... to date😉
Great Looking Dub love that Porsche fan shroud and twin carbs, gives the engine bay some extra space. very nice.
+stradastudio Thanks for watching! It's a cool setup isn't it. Very smart and suits the VW air cooled setup.
Love how clean your beetle looks. I own a 68 with a 1641 engine but looks a little different. I bought it as a project so it’s been more like a Frankenstein cause as Imkeep going I keep finding more and more weird parts. Like the gas cap (door) mine has no cable to open it and the fender has a small finger bend on fender. As if I’m supposed to manually open the little door latch when putting gas, however my little door has a spring that opens it. So it’s a hot rod style not stock cause it even has air bags and has an amazing stance with dog dish caps and rear dip dish black powder coated wheels. It really look s awesome just need me to finish it....
Why is it that so many people focus on the title of this video. Who cares if it's not a real sleeper. It's a beautifully built beetle.
Thanks for watching Aaron! Very much agree with you there.
Wow, a really beautifull car! I once had an 1984er Mexio in red but gave it away as a gift...
+Edition Katzenstein - Verlag & Designagentur Thanks for watching! Glad you liked the red Bug👍Shame you had to give yours away. Maybe someday you'll get another just like it👌
Great looking, great sounding Beetle. To me a "sleeper" is a car that outwardly looks stock but is, in every way, much more capable than stock. Doesn't need to be something that burns up the roadway or the track. I'd like to do something like this to a Karmann Ghia and then just keep on appreciating it for what I've created it to be throughout the years. Excellent video. My only critique is I would've liked to hear/see more of the engine and other mechanicals/electricals.
+Shannon Wittman Thanks for watching Shannon and for the feedback. Much appreciated! Glad you enjoyed the film. Funny I have thought of doing the same thing to a Karmann Ghia. They have a rep for being a bit slow so turning one into a sleeper would be cool. One day maybe ;)
This thing is dope!
+James Maisner Cool! Thanks for watching James :)
Exhaust sounds awesome!
+doctor zaius Isn't it just!
Great car! My first car was a 1970 1500L imported from Germany.
It was a very similar car, front disks, Karman Gia rear end, and had 1500L on the rear hood.
Here in America VW's din't have disk brakes until 1971.
Every time I would bring my car to the VW dealership, all the mechanics would stop to take look at my strange car. I still miss it, but I think I miss my 1971 bus a little more.
Keep it, but don't let your daughter drive it, she will love it , but they are too dangerous on modern roads. Thanks for sharing your car.
+William Berger Thanks for your comments William and sharing about your old VWs. Glad you enjoyed this one. Maybe you'll acquire another Bug one day?
There is a green and white 1958 vw beetle in my street. Its fantastic
+SuperMito21 Cool! That sounds an interesting colour combo!
Had a 68 1500 (same as the video) in those colours, back in the 90s. green with white/cream sides. Stolen, sadly.
I have a 1970 1,500 bug l love it. Right now its all apart being restored.
It would b my dream to have a RHD bug.
That's a great looking Beetle!! I bet it's fun to drive too
Thanks for watching! Yeah it's a very cool Bug and very rapid. Didn't get a chance to drive it but would love a go in it.
Love Beetles. This is a great one
Thanks Kevin! Glad you liked it :)
Love it. Especially the colour
This looks like so much fun!!!!
Thanks for watching Barry! Yup this car is huge amounts of fun😎👍
I miss my 1974 Superbeetle. It wasn't in any way a sleeper - mostly original with a few replacement parts, but the body was sound (no rust) and it ran like a dream. My ex-husband traded it for a pickup that didn't run. WTF?? GRRRR!!! That's just one reason why he's my ex.
Thanks for watching and sharing your story. That is a real shame what happened to your SuperBeetle! Unforgivable really! Hopefully one day you will get to own another 74 Bug.
😂😂😂😂😂
This makes me miss my 68 Squareback!
perfect tune sound
+Xsavier NeoGeo It sure is👌👍
i want that powertrain set up bad, i dont care to race, i care to have fun good job !
+Xsavier NeoGeo Cool! Yup that's what it's all about, having fun with a cool classic :)
Thank you for making this video. Enjoyed it .
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it😎👍
Love the stance and the color. HP is good. More is better.
+DanTheManIOM Thanks for the comment! Yeah the colour is fab, the gleaming red is what caught my eye when I first saw it.
Great job mate!! That is a sweet little ride you have there. Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed that.
very nice little red bug....
+Dean Murray Cool isn't it! Thanks for watching😎
Now that's a bug I'd like to drive, even if everything is on the wrong side.
You can't reach the wheel sitting on the wrong side !
Beautiful car, nice customization.
my dream engine is a 2332 with dual 48 IGA Weber carburetors
+CONCERNED PATRIOT It might fly with that upgrade... if you added some wings as well!😉🚀🏎
Over here in Western Pennsylvania, the heavily salted Winter roads resulted in serious Beetle rust.
Yeah it’s the same here in the UK. Salty winter roads killed lots of these early on.
Got to 4 minutes and all I can keep thinking is, "When are we going to get to see what the car can do?" I got a little excited when the guy pulled out of his driveway, with racing gloves on and everything, and then he short shifts it and gets it up to 45MPH and we never hear or see what the car does, and then the video goes back to this guy talking who puts me to sleep. Love the car, great video production quality, just can't make it through all of it to see if this car has any nuts or not.
Thanks for the comments Will. I would have liked to have shown more of the car on the open road but there were numerous logistics issues. Sometimes the right road is just not there to film safely on and within legal limits. And as a one man film/production team, I do the best I can. With time and more resources this will improve.
You should watch the rest of the film. It is worth it.
💥 I Had a 1835cc 120hp 68 Minor Custom Super Beetle I Sold and Miss Very Much ✅ I’ve Had 4 Beetles... Very Cool 💥
beatiful car
love beetles, my first car was a 65 1200, 6v battery was a pain, if it was raining at night you could either have lights or wipers.
Yeah the 6v was pretty poor and most have been uprated so you could have the luxury of lights, wipers and maybe a heater on at the same time 😉All part of the character!
Im a more a Chevy/Jeep fan but I have always had a soft spot for old Volkswagen Beetles, probably because they are so similar to Jeeps for example, They both fought in world war 2, they make awesome off road vehicles and cruisers, both old Jeeps and old Beetles had 60 horse power, very reliable and capable vehicles both had 4 cylinders and just enough power to get the job done, both had terrible heating systems but they were both so simple and easy to work on. 2 very similar vehicles that at a glance don't look so similar. and yes I know the VW Bug itself never fought in WW2 but It was the designing platform of the Kubelwagen which the kubelwagen inspired the Volkswagen Thing.
+Cody Ogden Thanks for watching Cody! Never really thought about it like that but the VW Thing did hail from the Kubelwagen so can see the connections, for both. The Jeep & the Beetle were champions of simple but effective engineering. Pretty frugal too.
Awesome car and awesome channel. I'm glad I found you guys! Watching this makes me want to restore my Dad's '56 Beetle. We both want to make something like this so thanks for the inspiration.
Dave
David Palacios Thank you very much for your feedback! Really glad you enjoyed it and that it has provided some inspiration for your Dad's Beetle. Davids one is very cool. Best of luck with your restoration. Let us know how you get on with it. We could do a feature on it down the road.
Put a Chevrolet 3.8 v6 in it. Much cheaper and FAR more fjn to drive. Now THAT'S a true sleeper....it will probably cost you upwards of 10, 000 dollars just for tge useless 120 hp power plant that this guy has....try around 4 grand MAX for a car that will get to 60 in less than 5 seconds and get almost 40mpg. With that crap, and dual Webbers, I'll bet he doesn't get more than 25....FREEWAY.
The point of this build was to keep it a VW. Sticking any old lump from some other manufacturer means it’s not a VW any more. You forget that the Beetle is a light car. Taking it from 50 or so BHP to around 130 BHP is quite a big jump in power. I’ve been in the car... it is bloody fast!!!
Take to the Road
If you put an excellent engine into a beetle, it's still registered as a beetle, so I'm not sure your point is valid. And until the engine compartment is opened, you won't know. Interesting that you didn't admit it cost over 10 grand to boost from whatever to 130 hp. And you STILL have a vas sucking, wallet draining maintenance nightmare of a pile of crap. Useless lump, indeed.
You don’t seem to appreciate the idea that a car has a soul. And a huge part of that is the engine, the engine from the original manufacturer. Things work differently here in the UK and Europe remember. And why would someone in the UK go to the trouble of sourcing a little known US V6 and have it shipped over to put in a Beetle??? By the time you ship it, service it and install it that’s £10k gone very quickly. Plus I don’t know what David has spent on his Beetle over the years... so what if he’s spent a lot in it. It’s his car and he’s had it a very long time with no plans to sell. Don’t see what’s so hard to understand with that.
Sensacional!! Felicitaciones por esa belleza!!!
¡Gracias por ver! ¡Me alegra que lo hayas disfrutado! :)
A lot of the commentators obviously have no idea how far a few ponies go in a 1,700 pound Volkswagen. My 71 Super Beetle has a stock-internal 1,600 with dual carbs and a header, and I don't have a problem "keeping up" with California traffic.
You're probably the same people that cut me off and act a fool, never mind I'm cruising 75 with traffic, because you won't dare get "caught" behind a crusty old VW. The day you're privileged to have a real 120 wheel horse power Bug next to you, you're in for a big surprise.
+David Hansen I think its a perception thing. I'm sure if they had a go in that Beetle they'd be pleasantly surprised. Yours must be pretty rapid as well in 1600 guise with those mods. Have you done any other tweaks to the suspension etc?
It's definitely quicker than it was stock, but I wouldn't think I added more than a few HP over all. I'm saving up to do a 2,000cc build, that should really put some pep in its step.
The suspension has been fully rebuilt, sans a few bushings on the rear. The Super strut suspension has been fully rebuilt ground up, with lowering struts, urethane bushings, and other required mods for low Supers like flipping the tie rods on the steering knuckles. All steering links have been replaced as well, although I do need to replace the steering box. Regardless, coming out of the alignment shop for the first time ever with the car in spec felt amazing, and was well worth the effort. I have wider than stock tires on, and it handles better than you'd ever expect a Beetle to, that's for sure.
Brakes fully rebuilt as well, all LED exterior lighting, and most of the interior replaced, but it's a long-term resto-mod. I still need to do a lot in the interior, do body work and paint, and build my final driveline with the 2l and a rebuilt transaxle with better gearing for a Dub with some grunt. But the rest of that is still several years away.
Thanks man, I think I have some vids of the car on my channel if you want to have a look.
+David Hansen That sounds like a very worthwhile rebuild indeed! Nice work! It all takes time when working on a project. Best of luck with getting the rest of her finished off.
Cheers! Will take a look :)
A beetle with a mild hp increase and decent suspension will embarrass a fair few cars in the real world.
Love 'em!
I myself on my 70 sunroof beetle and currently engaged in about a two-year-long quest to get New Old Stock bumpers for my 1970 VW Bug 70 sunroof I love the car it is not the nicest you're the prettiest and it may never be but I will still love it no matter what the lady I bought it from I think she cried a little when I took the car somebody cut my front bumper bumper in a fender scraped a plane change accident one day wrapped it up messed it up and wrecked it and both bumpers the Chrome starting to pit severely so I stuffed and sprayed the rear bumper flat black the rear bumper was and still is strong and structurally strong at the very least at some point I'm going to have to rechrome the rear bumper and find a new front one even if I can't find the New Old Stock that I want I am going to have to get a good old one and have it rechromed!
+CONCERNED PATRIOT Good luck finding the bumpers! They are bound to be out there somewhere👍
Is beatiful, congratulation and greetings from MÉXICO!!!
I like how the car looks mostly stock from the outside the Aesthetics of the engine are great! I love the way it looks and if you have upgraded from 44 to maybe a hundred and a quarter horsepower that is an amazing upgrade crippling the horsepower excellent! I love Volkswagen's :-)
+CONCERNED PATRIOT Having ridden in this Beetle and followed it I can confirm it is very rapid. That extra grunt over the stock motor makes a massive difference! It's great fun👍
Beautiful beetle
Glad you liked it😎👍
Brilliant car!
+Matt Greenland Great isn't it! Thanks for watching Matt :)
Nice sound, I always love or hate Beetle's; never seen a "middle" one lol.
This one I love it's more powerful as all Beetles should be, but the owner kept the cachet, as all Beetle's owners should do. ;)
Pretty much what I thought too when I first saw it and heard it. I found it refreshing to find one that was done well and actually performed as good as it looked.
Nice beetle.. euro countries love it cuz its cold atmosphere.. if your in the tropics damn so hot so sad its the nicest car iv driven the first car where i first learned to drive with..
Really sweet car
Thank you George glad you liked it!😎👍
SWEET ride!
Reminds me of my buddies beetle that woul pull 3rd gear wheelies on the street back in highschool
nice looking bug, 120 hp, enough power for a beetle,
Thanks for watching. Glad you liked the Beetle. Indeed that much BHP is just about right for it.
what a great video!!! well done!
+Pimento Momento Thank you very much! Delighted you enjoyed it :)
its perfect!
+Luis Rodriguez Cool! Thanks for watching😎👍
YES I HAD THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION COMPLETELY IN ROAD AND HIGH SPEED SET UP.
Cool! Best way to do it.
Love it, It's a rare view nowadays to see the beetle around and even rarer to see one in a good shape.
What's the song at the end?
Oh I see it now, it's recorded by the authors or whatnot. Ok, nevermind :)
Thanks for watching Michal. Glad you found the song🎼
You need to see my mates, he has 40 k in it, 2.8,4 cylinder, running 300 bhp...engine case, stroker crank, case and cam shaft clearanced jenvey injection on 48 ida's,rhino gearbox, ongoing build....for at last the last 13 years!
+sidewayssam Wow I bet that is a handful! 300BHP is impressive!
+Take to the Road it is the never ending build...!this was his recent purchase facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209440905521621&set=a.10200610051395787.204161.1294713003&type=3&theater
+sidewayssam facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209440901121511&set=a.10200610051395787.204161.1294713003&type=3&theater
+sidewayssam And have another couple of mates with very quick beetles,one is an oval running 12 naturally aspirated, they other a turbo unit in the 13's,here they are racing each other facebook.com/johnrunningmonkeymills?fref=ts
gorgeous car pal, would never sell that.
We agree. We'd never sell it either if it was in our garage.
I love vw beetle...no charges for computer problems !
sounds and looks great!!
Cool! Thanks for watching :)
Beetle life 😊
120 BHP is more than enough power on this kind of car. I drove one with the original power and it was a snap oversteer kind of car so putting too much power would be dangerous. This car weighs nothing so it is probably an incredible experience. I have an Austin mini Naturally aspirated with 78 BHP weigh-in at 630 kgs and trust me you don't need more power there's plenty of fun in this car.
+TheThunderwars Yup agree with you. 120BHP or thereabouts is just about right for a classic Beetle. Any more and it will need serious chassis work. Giving it enough power to be a fun drive is the way to go. Your Mini sounds like it's lot of fun as well! 78BHP is a fair amount for it. Am sure it puts a smile on your face😉
I had an orange one and it was so slow, wind aft and planets aligned could hit 110 km/h but it was a joy to ride, I called it "bad girlfirend" cause it always made me spend a lot of money xd