I love that. Fact or Fiction? If the chassis is the same that would put the engine just above the rear tires. That would make for interesting dinner conversation. I would love to see the inside.
I love it. Thanks for sending. I grew up in the desert Southwest. I can't even remember how many Beetles were turned in Dune Buggies or Desert Buggies. There were shops that did it for a living. I can' believe I never saw one of these. I'm usually not a gear head, but I still want to know where they put the engine.
Well that was truly a labor of love. Turned a sow's ear into a silk purse. I don't know how steep a grade I would want to pull a trailer with a Volks Wagon, but it would be fun to travel in. Thank you for sharing. Those are a gas!! Do you think the last one came with a Pit Bull? That would be an interesting accessory.
I was raised in a vw bus that had been upgraded into a camper and sold by the dealership. We traveled a lot as a family. It was long before the poptop campers ever came out. It had a striped tent that hooked to the side. It had a fridge that you put a block of ice in. I guess it really was just a glorified cooler. Seat in the back folded down into a bed and had cabinets built in. My folks traded in a vw bug that they brought back from Germany with them after my dad was stationed there. It had all German writing on the switches and instead of electric light blinkers it had sticks that popped up on each side of the car like school buses have. My dad traded it in and when he came back for the first service on the van they had it on the showroom floor roped off. I remember he said..."Guess I shouldn't have traded it in.". The van looked just like this and I'm sure it would be worth a lot of money today:
I never saw one with the tent. That is a beauty. Must have been a lot of fun. What you had, and this is a lost term from way back, wasn't a cooler. It was an Ice Box. I remember my Grandparents and Great Grandparents always using the term Ice Box for what we now call a refrigerator. Way back when that is what is was a box you put ice in to keep everything cool. Wow. You found a very interesting rabbit hole. I was just along for the ride. Thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. When TMT Tactical posts we will have to see if they are still making Dune Buggies. There may be more rules now about tearing up the desert. We had more fun than the law allows.
You can find / still get dune buggies or sand rails but you will need to reach down real deep into your wallet. They are not cheap.
We used to make them ourselves with any beat up old Volks Wagon. Chop off the fenders. You couldn't hurt them. They ran forever. Especially in the desert where they didn't need water.
