Custom VWs Beetles Bugs Kit Cars And Buggies - A Colour Family Album Special

There are people who look at a perfectly good Volkswagen Beetle and think, "That’s lovely." Then there are those who look at the very same car and think, "Yes... but what if it had a fibreglass body, no roof, enormous rear tyres, a beach theme and enough chrome to be visible from low Earth orbit?" Custom VWs: Beetles, Bugs, Kit Cars and Buggies joyfully celebrates the wonderfully imaginative world that emerged when enthusiasts decided the humble Beetle was not merely a car, but a blank canvas for almost limitless creativity.

Written by David and Andrea Sparrow, this entertaining volume explores the colourful universe of customised Volkswagens, from lovingly modified Beetles and Cal-Look classics to dune buggies, kit cars and an astonishing assortment of one-off creations that demonstrate just how versatile Ferdinand Porsche’s original design really was. The Beetle’s simple mechanical layout, rugged reliability and separate chassis made it one of the most modified cars in history, spawning an entire industry dedicated to making something already distinctive even more so.

As part of Veloce Publishing’s acclaimed Colour Family Album series, this special edition is packed with vibrant colour photographs showcasing the sheer variety of customised Volkswagens from around the world. Every page introduces another ingenious interpretation, whether it’s a beautifully restored classic with subtle performance upgrades or something so radically transformed that only the unmistakable flat-four engine hints at its humble origins. Somewhere, an accountant once looked at a standard Beetle and accidentally inspired a generation of automotive artists.

The book also delves into the fascinating history of the kit car movement, where enterprising manufacturers discovered that a reliable Volkswagen chassis could underpin almost anything the imagination could devise. Replicas of exotic sports cars, futuristic roadsters, beach buggies and gloriously impractical weekend toys all found eager buyers, proving that automotive dreams occasionally require more enthusiasm than common sense—and that is very often no bad thing.

David and Andrea Sparrow write with obvious affection for the subject, blending historical background with technical insight and a genuine appreciation for the ingenuity of Volkswagen enthusiasts. Whether you’re fascinated by restoration, modification or simply enjoy seeing what happens when engineers and dreamers collaborate, the result is an endlessly entertaining journey through one of motoring’s most inventive subcultures.

This copy is in Near Fine condition, with bright, clean pages, a tight binding and only the lightest traces of previous ownership. It presents beautifully and would make an excellent addition to the bookshelf of any Volkswagen enthusiast, kit car builder or admirer of automotive individuality.

Offered, as always, by Crappy Old Books, where the name continues to promise a cardboard box of well-worn paperbacks while quietly producing gems like this instead. We can’t promise you’ll immediately feel the urge to buy an angle grinder, a fibreglass body shell and a donor Beetle from someone’s barn, but we wouldn’t entirely rule it out. After all, the history of custom Volkswagens is built upon the wonderfully optimistic belief that almost anything is possible with enough imagination, a decent toolkit and a complete disregard for what the neighbours might think.

Keep browsing: See more Transport books Other books by David Sparrow and Andrea Sparrow