You’ve pre-ordered your Tesla Cybertruck but can’t seem to scratch that itch you’ve got for a futuristic metallic gray vehicle to show off around town. Well you’re in luck because we found this 1963 Volkswagen Dune Buggy with a custom built body.
Looking like a vehicle straight out of a 70’s sci-fi film (with custom paint job to match), this buggy is the perfect mixture of freak show, and function.
Where do we even begin with this thing… probably the exterior. There’s a lot going on here, and I’m genuinely unsure if that makes it impressive or horrifying. With styling cues reminiscent of a Delorean, and something out of Mad Max, this thing is a true sight to behold.
I think the one thing that truly bothers me about the exterior of this build is the makeshift bull bar on the front bumper (if you can call it that). The overall exterior style is unique, and probably took a ton of time to chef up, so I’m not sure why the buck stopped at the bull bar.
The build does get a few consolation points for re using the original headlights from the V-Dub Dune Buggy.
Moving onto the interior, this thing starts to really show it’s age. This unique ride has been stored in Manistee Michigan for the past 50 years, and honestly, it could be a lot worse. The interior comes fully loaded from the barn with trash and what appears to be the habitat to many rodents.
All jokes aside, the interior is in surprisingly decent condition for how long this puppy has been sitting. It also appears that the builder added a custom dashboard (which is a bit unfortunate as these old VW Dune Buggies have a nice dash in stock trim).
Now we have to have a little chat about the t-top door things going on up top there… They look really cool and functional until you realize that you have to climb over half of the car’s height just to get in and out. The single hinge design (if you can call it that) would definitely be concerning above 88 miles per hour.
Also featured in this build is the iconic Volkswagen 1600cc engine that makes an astonishingly lackluster 60 ponies. Throughout the 60’s VW went through several iterations of air cooled power units before settling on the 1600cc single intake design. No need to worry about the t-tops anymore, this thing is definitely not going over 88.
In all honesty this build isn’t horrible, but I would’ve definitely not chopped up a classic Volkswagen Dune Buggy. For the asking price of $3,500 I’ve seen worse buys out there. This build is gonna get a fair 6/10 from me. The concept is unique but the execution is a tad bit questionable.
