From the West coast division of the Corvair shortening department comes this 1963 convertible dune buggy variant of the American air-cooled rear engine sports car. The car originally rolled off the assembly line as a factory turbocharged Spyder in 1963. An accident that buckled and creased both doors landed what was left the Spyder languishing engineless behind a gas station … [Read more...]
Concrete Ape in Vermont
Driving along Vermont state highways one is likely to witness the majesty of the Green Mountains while curving down around rivers and creeks into bucolic small towns. Either that or a giant gorilla holding up a Volkswagen beetle. This particular Gorilla guards the used car lot at Pioneer Auto Sales on State Route 7 in Brandon, Vermont. While inflatable gorillas are a common … [Read more...]
Mid-Engine V8 Beetle
What began life as a stock 1963 Volkswagen Beetle convertible is now nearly everything but. We walked past the Bug a few times at the SEMA show before finally stopping to peer inside and see a stonking Ford V8 mounted amidships! The legend goes that Paul Newman had Jerry Eisert take some time out from constructing INDY race cars and engineer this mid-engine monster Bug to toy … [Read more...]