What Does It Mean To Be An Automotive Enthusiast?
Dusting Off The Training Wheels

I’d like to take a trip down memory lane, to a time where you had your first automotive experience. For some, it may have been the first time they took a ride in their grandfather’s hot rod and the feeling of what seemed to be a massive leather bench seat hugging their hips; the sound of the engine cranking and the excitement of the pilot responsibly hitting the gas pedal waiting for you to explode in a giggle-fit of joy. For others, it may be as simple as the first time their parents took them to a car show, where their eyes were exploding with every ounce of automotive culture that surrounded them; picking and choosing from their favorites of the show…

As in my case, it may have even started a bit late, like when I first got my license and simply fell head over heels with the freedom that accompanied four tires and a laminated picture ID.

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It didn’t matter what was jolting your shoulders to the back of the seat on that first ride, and it didn’t matter that your favorite car of the show was most likely not anywhere near tasteful – because we were innocent. We were children floating through the experiences with an open mind; following nothing but the feeling in our gut without the concern of being ridiculed for what was right or wrong.

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So let’s go back to that innocence – just for these few moments, at the least. And in the case of this 1965 Beetle, let’s forget the whole ‘stance’ thing ever happened. Let’s also forget the function wars; the ‘my car is better than yours because of its ride height’ apparel; the plethora of blogs and shops solely dedicated to camber specifications and the general separation that is amongst our community due to this specific type of style.

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Forget all of it. Let’s be kids again. Let’s be genuine adults and enthusiasts rather than rampaging adolescents hiding behind the fortitude of our wireless internet providers. Even better, let’s be artists. Because at the end of the day, that’s exactly what we are.

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As hard as it is for the gearheads and fabricators to swallow, every piece you cut, weld, and mold is you being an artist in the purest form. Those of you who are more cultural observers and simply attend meets to check out the scene, you are curators waddling through a vast pond; picking and pointing out whatever sends an emotional shiver down your spine.

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And for the ones like Erik Stevenson – the owner of this near-50-year-old ratty hunk of metal – you are creators; cautiously picking your pallet, modifying your details to the nth degree as you dig through junkyards in effort to recreate that initial feeling of innocence. That first automotive ‘high’ so to speak.

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Fellow artists, that high is the reason this car is on Speedhunters. It may lose to a tricycle in a speed bump battle, and it may very well be hardly even drivable (though it is). But beneath that testerone, 9-5 caffeine-enraged shell of yours, you know there’s the innocent child in you that can’t deny how freaking cool this Bug looks. It’s a rolling performance piece that some of us will absolutely adore, and others will regret they ever wasted their time stepping into the venue. So in the spirit of this fluffy chatter, let’s continue to take a step back and view the artistic direction and decisions that our artist chose to make in creating this piece, rather than instantly writing it off without understanding.

The Process
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First off, for lack of better words, it’s a rat rod. Isn’t it? Some of the die-hard curators may not agree, but what really makes this anything but that? A true rat rod is supposed to be something that has been built on a budget using nothing but immediately available items to create a backyard piece of jubilance in absolute contrast to authentic hot rods builds. And though this may not completely pass the bar in the ‘rat rod’ realm, it’s the exact process that was applied to this Beetle.

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As Bryn mentioned in his introduction to June editorial, this car is rocking a faux patina scheme. But what makes it faux? Sure, it obviously didn’t look this way when it was hoisted out of the junkyard, but in many way it’s more natural than one would think.

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To further elaborate, this Bug was originally acquired in a bright shade of yellow, though looking deeper (into the interior guts) one could easily tell it was originally red. Or was it? After a few afternoons of wet sanding in the Mississippi heat, our owner eventually found that the ’65 had changed outfits at least six times before his ownership, and after discovering every stage of its life, made the artistic decision to keep it as is. Make no mistake, this wasn’t done for the sake of imitation. This is what the canvas revealed.

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Along with the immediately noticeable paint scheme comes the other bits of artistic character subtly showcased throughout the exterior – like the roof rack. It may be as pointless as an irrelevant speck of detail that a painter would apply to a prestigious landscape – and we all may be thoroughly jaded on the style – but it completes the car. A final touch, you could say.

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Then there are the two camshafts up front. Originally influenced from classic hot rod/Chevy builds, our artist wanted to transform this piece of character into something of his own, and after digging through his workshop came across a pair of VW ABA cams that would perfectly fit the bill. Many of you may despise this piece, but I guarantee it won’t be long before we see more renditions of this influence.

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And the wheels? Lord knows this thing would look righteous on a set of fresh Rotiforms, but the authenticity of the piece was stuck to throughout the entirety of the process. These my friends are a set of Ansen Spirits acquired from a shop customer who was simply looking to get rid of a set of junk wheels he had laying around. And just like that, the originally steelies were replaced.

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I’m sure the biggest factor that’s boiling in a lot of blood streams right now is the owner’s decision to set the frame on the ground. But we won’t waste too much time explaining its suspension aside from the fact that there basically is no suspension. Shock towers? Who needs ‘em!? It’s pretty much all just tire pressure right there, guys. But that’s okay. Think about how much more you’d hate this car if it had that godforsaken wheel gap!

Emotional Ties
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Just as with a blank canvas, our artist has meticulously plotted each and every brush stroke, and stepping into the interior you’ll find the story is no different.

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A personal favorite? The crystal ball shift knob. No, this wasn’t bought from a random vendor at a Euro show attempting to monetize character, it was a gift – a gift acquired from an old antique shop owned by one of our own, an artist. An artist nostalgic of when he was a child ripping around in his backyard builds modifying his car with whatever he found laying around the house. And every time Erik clenches the little four-speed, he’s reminded of this.

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To tie the sentimental factor in even further, the upholstery also pays more homage to the artist’s roots than what immediately meets the eye.

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After cruising around for months with the idea of revamping the cockpit on a budget, it wasn’t until Erik was driving with his mother that he stopped at a gas station and found a bundle of blankets that would later be cut, sewed and transformed into the emotional lounge you see today. Glorious, isn’t it? These are the types of ties that will be brought to life every time the engine is fired up.

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Speaking of which, if you’re waiting to hear about this Beetle’s impressive horsepower and torque numbers and hidden power plant, you can stop holding your breath. It’s not coming.

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The 1.6-liter engine, though cleaned up, has not been modified aside from a simple heater box delete, a set of J-tubes and a cool old EMPI Baja pipe found laying around in effort to tie in a much-adored bosozoku factor.

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The front end though, is actually a different story. Argue functionality all you want, but there’s definitely four planks stuffed in the trunk to accommodate those daunting driveways of day-to-day travel. Function issue: addressed.

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It seems the further I dive into my Speedhunters career the more apparent it’s becoming how absolutely impossible it is to please the masses. Though realistically, how boring would the world be if we all had the exact same taste? How mundane would a 2000GT be if it was as common as a Civic? And how many Rembrandts would we have if every artist painted in the exact same fashion? You may think this car is a piece of junk; a waste of a post and an eye-sore to your news feed, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how skilled you are, you could never replicate it.

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Sure, you can find a crystal knob anywhere, and I know of more ghetto bodegas selling cheap blankets than I can count. But just as with any piece of art, it’s the emotional relevance that makes this build so significant. The feeling that’s acquired while witnessing this rusted piece of history scraping down the road as it sends shivers down your spine with every clank of the chassis on the pavement. This is not a feature car, fellow Speedhunters, this is a performance piece. Whether you love it or hate it, I am certain it’s made you feel something. It’s evoked emotion, and at the end of the day, it’s diverse presentations like these that make the our community worth living in.

Matthew Jones
Instagram: matthewjonesphoto
matt@speedhunters.com

Cutting Room Floor
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1

Well I love it.

2
Ben Sutherland

Matt, you have done well to address all the Haters and to try and change the way people look at things. I know I am one guy that has a very broad spectrum of the cars that I like but it is hard in a world where people judge things because its not their style or they don't know enough about it. Well done mate, I for one love this thing.

3

Ben, you've said it all here "it is hard in a world where people judge things because its not their style or they don't know enough about it". I agree with you on every word. Good job Matthhew

4

侘寂.
That is all.

5

Reminds me of my good friend in high school. He had a rattle trap Baja bug, and he did his best with limited skills and resources. That car was an extension of himself in a way my squeaky clean Nissan Sentra never was.

6

I'd daily that! Perhaps take a tennis ball with me to stop water getting in the exhaust when I leave it on wetter days. I agree completely about builds, yes I have seen many "rat" style cars but I have never seen two exactly the same each have their own charms much the same with all builds. But it's often the rat ones that show the character of the owner best.

7

However, tasteful and "individual" are two completely different camps.

8

Love it, love it, love it. I love anything aircooled. Awesome car. SH needs more aircooled love.

9

"Emotional lounge". 

Wut

10

The rat road scene is the hipster of the automotive world.

11

Great Pics and Article. One thing though. A pallet is what you put gearboxes on to move them around. A palette is what a painter puts paint on.

12

Ask any artist, any successful person, any entrepreneur....they will always tell you that the single most stand out reaction to their ideas along the journey to success was negativity. I would bet that with every great idea, 90% of the people who these artists or creative types discuss their ideas with will somehow find a way to put them down...it is human nature! Shame on all you negative humans...luckily I am an alien

13

Porthos1984 I wonder if you automatically think that because the driver of this vw has a substantial beard and wearing a unique hat? hmm, I'm not putting you down, I just wonder if that was a subliminal reaction to that photo. My 1928 rat rod is certainly not hipster...then again it's not rusty either, but it is certainly a rat rod

14

ReadeB Porthos1984 I am just stereotyping and being judgemental. I like Beetles and vintage cars but, I am just not into this look.

15

I must be very narrow minded because I cannot imagine how someone who is into car culture could not LOVE this.

Editorial was profound, photos sublime.

16

Man this is just too cool. I seriously thought it was on sacks haha. This is why I like SPEEDHUNTERS! Always something nicely unexpected. Thanks Mr jones for this one.

17

Very Nice ;) I imagine he gets the same kinda mocking/teasing I get for driving City Turbo's, but when you meetup with others that love your car as much as you do it's Awesome.

18

That car on those rims sent me back to my childhood all right. There was a bright yellow plastic toy beetle that I found in my Grandma's basement. It transformed into the craziest looking dragster at the touch of a hidden lever. It had those exact same rims.

Oh nostalgia.

19

screw the masses, this shits personal biatch

20

It means you can appreciate all makes and models. If you can't, you're not a true enthusiast.

21

The beetle is great but can we address the beauty of Matt's writing in this article? Like honestly maybe it's because I only slept four hours last night but honestly that was great. Also, I saw this car at SOWO and it was definitely uh emotional

22
Speedhunters_Bryn

One of the best stories I've read recently Matt, lovely stuff. Remember when we discussed this as a feature car? Haha, eloquently and wonderfully discussed, makes me want to put a spanner in my hand rather than a keyboard :)

23

The front wheel/fender setup gets a A+

24
TarmacTerrorist

It's transcending those who need to judge and belittle that which they don't 'understand' or 'get' that makes us true global members of car culture and not just another guy following another trend and never being happy with the car.
I accept that the noisy people will shout and moan ,I ignore them, it's not their fault they have no imagination or connection to their inner Id. clearly they are the types that only build Lego into the shape on the box, never knowing what they could build with no rules.

25

Pictures aside! (which are great) and execution of the mods aside ( which are also bitchin')
Matthew that article alone is the shit!! It reads like a hommage to all of us, like you want to get beyond that stance/purpose/whatever schools of modifying and boil it down to what it is, guys and gals which share the passion for theese steel hunks with 4 rubber thingies , cars.
I really enjoyed reading that article! Great!

26
ToyotaSupraMan

Big Pooky Lust is an emotion...

27

Saw this beauty at SoWo. LOVED it. Talked with the owner for a few on Friday morning. Cool dude. I specifically pointed out to him that I loved the little touches such as the cam shafts. Stunning photos and article!

28

Porthos1984 To me the rat rod scene is the most pure of the automotive world. Modifying a junkyard beater for little to no money shows that we're not just materialists and consumerists but true appreciators of all things motored. The scene started because not everyone could afford pristine cars laden in chrome. So why fake it? Why not embrace the cards dealt to you? I'll take a greasy burger from a hole-in-the-wall joint over an Applebee's steak any day of the week.

29

NYporkdept Porthos1984

It saddens me deeply that your example of "good" food is an Applebee's steak.

30

MrEG NYporkdept Porthos1984 Does this matter really sadden you deeply? Are you a sissy?

31

This whole article seems to be a oxymoron. "Let's all be kids again" "Let's be adults" "Forget the stance wars" "Forsaken wheel gap"

32

MrEG I don't consider it good food. At all. I was comparing the good, greasy burger from a mom and pop joint to a rat rod, and Applebee's to every faceless, soulless car out there.

33

I am not a hater, I'm an opinionist. I am also an automotive enthusiast. Having said that, this car does not appeal to me just because the owner has done something creative and different that he loves. I do not like the patina finish. I do not like the wheel choice. I do not like the stickers. The 'stance' I actually don't mind on this car, since it's main purpose is obviously style. But overall, I just don't really like it. Does that make me a hater? Certainly there are more internet haters than we like, but I think some people get 'hate' and 'opinion' confused, those who don't know how to handle criticism of any kind. It is becoming the norm that articles covering stanced or otherwise different builds begin with, 'internet haters be warned, look away now, blah blah,' as if to deter those from sharing their opinion. Appreciation is one thing, but liking something is another. I will not like every single car just because I'm an automotive enthusiast and it would be crazy to expect others to feel any different. Let's share opinions, good or bad. That is the beauty of diversity.
Just my two cents.

34

midgeman This X1000. I want people to understand that I love all cars. There are a couple exceptions here and there, but for the most part, I love everything. Imports, Euros, Domestics, it doesn't matter. 

Now that said, I do not love all modified cars, nor should I be expected to. When somebody modifies a car, he is doing it to match his personal taste. Because of this, he is the only person who should like said car. If nobody else likes it and everybody talks shit about it, so what? He didn't build it to appeal to the masses, he built it to appeal to him. That's why I don't get it when people get all defensive and pull the "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything" card. Of course I'm not going to like the car, it wasn't built to please me, it was built to please the owner. 

For people that modify their cars in such outlandish ways, stance people really do seem to be unable to handle much criticism. If you really built the car for YOU, you wouldn't care what some dick tree on the internet has to say about it.

35

I like it.

36

This is actually the pretty standard way of doing a hoodride type of beetle. Sometimes I wonder if Speedhunters has lost touch with the very basics of the automotive culture. You write an article about all the conflict this beetle can cause in a reader. You guys can't understand the difference between the articles your readers hate and the ones they love. I remember seeing the comment war on the slammed S2000 CR. You should of written these words for that article (might not have helped though). I looked over the comments here and saw one that might be perceived as dislike. People have been making beetles like this for over 15+yrs because I was in highschool back then helping my friend work on his hoodride beetle with the stinger exhaust that scraped everywhere. I love these beetles. You guys have all the access being such a respected name, but it doesn't seem like you're keeping your fingers on the pulse.

Nice car, well written, and nice work on the pictures.

37

heater box delete?? its cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and bitchen all year long. i love it

38

Love the camshaft bumper

39

I'm a VW guy and it makes me a little bit sad to see such beetles here on Speedhunters... There are so much bugs who deserve to be here face to this one ! I'm not diggin this fake patina and look at the engine !! Any person knowing a little will tell you this thing is anti mechanical... Finally if the car is static, there is no way he can turn the wheels full ! The gap between fun and stupidity is very thin...
There are thousand of fast and beautiful beetles in the USA and Europe who will make you take the coolest pictures of burnouts and wheeling, come on !! Search 5 minutes on the net and you'll find the true Speedhunters beetles !

40
Mattblackhatchback

April one right? Pretentious twaddle personified. It's not a piece of art it's another rusty slammed bug. The UK is full of them. Discuss... \;^)

41

Matthew Jones, my friend, you are a damn genius! great feature! I've been dying to see heartfelt features like you write. the way you write directly portrays the style of each car. Thank you for such great, quality reading material. Keep it up!

42

Mattblackhatchback there will always be trolls under the bridge

43

Here I am, scrolling thru the pictures, thinking... "a bushy hispter beard will show up any second now". Lo and behold, there it was...

44

Here I am, scrolling thru the pictures, thinking... "a bushy hipster beard will show up any second now". Lo and behold, there it was...

45
vroomtothetomb

To quote Mike Garrett recently:
"Fat Tires Forever!"

Author46

CabbyMatt Thank you very much buddy! Means a lot!

Author47

midgeman Hope I didn't confuse you! Believe me, there are TONS of cars I dislike. Well thought out opinions are what I'm going for here. :)

Author48

Onecton Thank you so much! Im trying' here! lol

Author49

Carlson I have many surprises coming your way, sir! Thanks for the love!

Author50

FastInFastOut Always interesting the way things work out, ay?

Author51

2xthefun I'll be honest and admit that I struggled with this one... It's difficult to write a piece on a car that makes you as giddy as a little school girl when you're constantly reading, "this is speedhunters, not stancehunters! comments. Too my surprise, this car is actually being accepted much better than I thought it would... On the other hand, if I were to go about writing the piece on how AMZING this build is, it would surely ruffle more feathers than we could handle. Just some food for thought, mate ;) And thanks for the kind words!

52

midgeman IMHO, hating or disliking a car doesn't make you a 'hater', using that hate to justify an attack on the car or the owner/builder does. Saying that a car is not your style is fine, but if someone is saying that the car has been destroyed or that the owner is a fool (Both examples from the Bagged Skyline post) because they don't like the car, then they're just being a dick. 
Slightly off topic, people who say that a car doesn't deserve to be featured because someone, somewhere has made a car that is 'better', done more to it or built it for a different purpose, STFU. Other people do like it, should they be able to deny you the opportunity to see a car you like featured because they don't like it?

53

Yup. Along the same lines ... I'm currently lusting after a 1986 Audi Coupe GT while I daily a brand new S4. Weird right??

54
winstonbinauhan

I think the Rat Rod Car concept is an emerging car design concept for a number of reasons
1. Budget wise it is more affordable
2. It really stands out in the crowd
3. it has that personal touch to it.
4 It is SO COOL!

55

I love a nicely slammed beetle, this is no exception.
I love ratty beetles, however I do not love fake patina.
I was reminded of the killers mask from SCREAM when I spotted his ear lobe in the 5th photo.
Why is a beard now known as a hipster beard(as someone on here commented), can't men just enjoy their face pubes?

Why must people hate on SH for running article like this. I care not for the Kiwi Kuda feature, or the Hoonigan article(what even is Hoonigan?), or the drifting SLS article so I don't click on them, let alone get in there and have a massive whinge.

56

Amen to the Narrator... stuff like this needs to bring us together then just sticking to one manufacturer too much bad pride runs in the car scene but i stick around with the open minded type of dudes ... other than that Great Beetle

57

I love this thing, though it does seem to share a lot with the http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/10/rust-bucket-wagovan/

cool car!

58

midgeman  I agree with what you just said. But I really like the car.

59

That custom camshaft front bar looks so cool. The word custom has a negative ring in my ears because of pimp my ride.

60
yellowhatchback

My fellow trolls and I are hard-parked under a particularly historic bridge here in the fragrant Somerset countryside. Even from here with our agricultural Wi-Fi pinging it's pretentious twaddle about an uninspiring shagged beetle. Discuss further \:^)

61
yellowhatchback

GraysonParker Honestly?

62

Mattblackhatchback a ride of the people and for the people then??? Nothing wrong with it. This rusty slammed bug has more work put into it then pieces you would define as art. Can you respect the time spent on it? Sanding alone is days, especially if he had that many layers show up which isn't too uncommon for a bug.

63

@decoy at least he wasn't wearing a flat bill and have gauges ... oh wait.

64

winstonbinauhan I saw a picture of a rat rod miata the other day, it was pretty cool.

65

Spaghetti Learning not to click is not something the internet does too well.

66
JMax Paint Garage LLC

I hate to disagree but this ratty look doesn't cut it for me. This 'look' started when poor young people back in the day couldn't afford a proper hot rod. People with ratty rods were made fun of - then now it has become a 'cool' and 'awesome' look. 

DO NOT MISTAKE A PROPER RAT ROD vs a POOR-MAN's HOT ROD

This guy went down to Mexico, saw a beetle with all of these things, decided to do one and slam it  and call it original. Not buying it. American rat rods are more original than this.Those blankets as upholstery? Nothing new in Mexico. The camshaft bumper? Yep, done in Mexico too - often with crankshafts too. You know who does that in Mexico? People without a budget to get a chromie or plastic bumper. HECK, even the plastic knob is the kind Mexican bus drivers use on their ratty ass buses. I know, I am from Mexicali and this is how Beetle (Pulguita) owners would customize their cars.

To each his own but I am kind of embarrassed Speedhunters is featuring a car so hollow and unoriginal as this one and exalting it to the point of calling it unique.

67

Why the constant hate on others possessions, art, cars, etc? Why not show us your cars, houses, girls, and let us comment. Don't have the heart? Then shut your face holes.

Nice story about a boy and a car, doesn't matter what either look like, its about the personal journey to get there. Most of us lost that bit in the translation and just want to see/build the same stuff over and over, thus loosing the pulse of the culture.

The fact that we see controversial cars and trucks, and so many styles, causing these stupid out burst of hate, shows SH has the line for sure and will be the place I come for news and pics from this world I call home.

Keep it up SH, you are where most of us go, even the haters, to be on top of the world of the automotive enthusiast.

68

JMax Paint Garage LLC  Yes, because everyone wants to copy Mexico.

69
whitehatchback

CabbyMatt Mattblackhatchback aye, educated trolls with feelings and emotive responses living and breeding under the protective arch of gnarly hewn rock that they call home. Even trolls have a view, agreeable or not...

70
JMax Paint Garage LLC

@Whoshot Whats funny is that the comments section is to express our opinion about the build and car and the first thing that happens when someone doesn't agree with a 'style' that's popular is jump on each others backs instead of commenting intelligently about why this car is unique. Critique with basis is NOT HATING. Example:

'OMG, gee, this car is so ugly and overrated'

Why? Why is it ugly? Why is it overrated? - not answering these fundamental question is hating. But stating something like "I dislike this vehicle's build because A, B, C, etc" is NOT HATING, it is simply expressing one's opinions. If I don't like it for a number of reasons, why attack an opinion?

Besides, who are we as individuals to force down people's throats what they should or shouldn't like? If you like carrots and I hate carrots you are free to state you like carrots to my face as much as I am free to state I hate carrots to your face and in the end we should be able to hug and go have a drink and talk cars as I believe we all have this in common.

Lets all grow up and use the comments section to talk about the build but not about each others opinions. 

And I'll say it again, I find this build unoriginal and the style disturbingly ugly.

71
JMax Paint Garage LLC

Spaghetti JMax Paint Garage LLC Believe it or not, beetle (bocho or pulguita) customization has been more popular in Mexico longer than it has been in the US. The Euro resurgence of early 2000's brought a lot of VW's back to the limelight. Think about bettles are to Mexico what RX7's are to Puerto Rico..

72

I love the pipe in the bacl

73

JMax Paint Garage LLC I can see what you mean as of how he may have copied someone else's, but i feel as if he couldn't have remembered every detail of exactly one Bug in Mexico, so he went for his own "Mexican Put-Together" look and put what he wanted on it. Also remember you cant just copy and paste, you still actually have to take the time to put every single minuscule part on the car, which i feel that he is doing a good job. And in the way you mean copying again, if you went to a rat rod meet, would you say they're all copying each other? They would all have the similar minimal half-ass look, but they do it because they like the look factor of it, it's cool, and that's what this guy decided to want to do to his Bug, or how i feel like he would have thought for it to be.

74

This bit was the most meaningful part of the article and sums up the entire build :

"Though realistically, how boring would the world be if we all had the exact same taste? How mundane would a 2000GT be if it was as common as a Civic? And how many Rembrandts would we have if every artist painted in the exact same fashion? You may think this car is a piece of junk; a waste of a post and an eye-sore to your news feed, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how skilled you are, you could never replicate it."

75

I dislike when the car is too near to the ground after suspension upgrade. Also the front wheels should be skewed, not the rear ones. new wings should be bought every time you drive through hole on the road. The whole car shows negligence, not cool design. Strange is different from cool. It's not cool if it is unusable.

76

MrSOLOMON85 I see what you did there ;)

77
ErnaniMartins

hola  JAX000
My first car was fusca 1 76

78

nfs playa "Though realistically, how boring would the world be if we all had the exact same taste? How mundane would a 2000GT be if it was as common as a Civic? And how many Rembrandts would we have if every artist painted in the exact same fashion? You may think this car is a piece of junk; a waste of a post and an eye-sore to your news feed, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how skilled you are, you could never replicate it."

79

nfs playa You realize that the rear cambers naturally and under no circumstances would the front, yes? Okay, good.

80
Dimitry Mochkin

I had to bookmark this article - why? Because it speaks like none others - it is about the fact that through cars we show ourselves. Maybe the car can't go to the race track. Maybe it's not capable of 11 second quarter miles. But it is the embodiment of its creator, it is the physical manifestation of it's maker's soul. This article made me really think about what the whole car modification scene is about. From slapping ridiculous bodykits to 1000+hp engines. It is about creation and aspiration to create. Of course not everyone likes a fart-cannon armed '96 Civic with huge NFS:U bumpers, but you know - the driver doesn't care. To HIM - it's the best car around and he will still try to race you on every light. Cars have souls and they can only be manifested through the entity in between the gas pedal and the steering wheel.

81

"As hard as it is for the gearheads and fabricators to swallow, every piece you cut, weld, and mold is you being an artist in the purest form. Those of you who are more cultural observers and simply attend meets to check out the scene, you are curators waddling through a vast pond; picking and pointing out whatever sends an emotional shiver down your spine."


this

82

Way to leave the bags for groceries! That wheel fitment is well done. Remember the offsets by chance?

83

I was surprised at first, but then - it does look good. Most of us are accustomed to see as-good-as-new looking vehicles - shiny and expensive. So seeing this Beetle was a bit of shock, but we are all different and like different things.
Like the vintage exterior effect. It's interesting to know how the vehicle behaves on rough terrains - it looks to low.

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