We Built A Giant VW Beetle

Ridiculous Rides

A CALIFORNIAN father and son have teamed up to supersize the classic Volkswagen Beetle. The VW enthusiasts upscaled the car by 40%, making it bigger than a Hummer. Scott Tupper, the younger generation of the duo, told R.Rides how the idea developed. “My dad and I thought it would be nice if we had a Volkswagen that was comfortable and not feel like you're going to get run over in traffic.” Once the idea was hatched, they went about making the dream into a reality. “We had a 59 Volkswagen convertible, we digitized it, scanned it everywhere, took it apart, and made each part 40% bigger on the computer.” Unsurprisingly, the vehicle has caused a lot of buzz on the roads. “People chase you to try to get up next to it, they almost run you off the road because they're not looking where they're going."

Transcript

00:00We decided to be like the Volkswagen and we wanted it to be 50% bigger.

00:07The funnest thing for this is being on the freeway.

00:11People just chase you to try to get up next to it.

00:15And then they almost run you off the road because they're not looking where they're going.

00:18Some vehicles dominate the street with sheer size alone.

00:31The Volkswagen Beetle isn't one of them.

00:33The Bug is the great car, but it's very small.

00:37Being dwarfed by other vehicles on the California roads led two generations of this family to the only logical solution.

00:46They were going to need a bigger Bug.

00:49My dad and I just thought it would be nice if we had a Volkswagen that was comfortable

00:53and not feel like you're going to get run over in traffic.

01:02It's a big vehicle. It's bigger than a Hummer.

01:05We decided we liked the Volkswagen and we wanted it to be 50% bigger, which is a huge amount.

01:20But it was a little bit too big to actually drive on the street legally.

01:24So we scaled it back to 40%.

01:27And supersizing such a classic is no mean feat.

01:31We had a 59 Volkswagen convertible.

01:35We basically digitized it.

01:37We scanned it everywhere.

01:38Got that computer file built.

01:40And then took it apart and made each part 40% bigger on the computer.

01:46Used that information to build templates and get all of our dimensions and things.

01:51And then started fabricating from there.

01:54The platform that we started with for Huge Bug is a Dodge truck.

02:00So it could handle all the weight and the size and the scale that we needed to go.

02:04And then everything's built on top of that.

02:06And while it's based on a 60-year-old car, this big beast has a good few mod cons.

02:13It's got all the creature comforts that you'd want in a new car.

02:17Power steering and heated and air conditioned seats.

02:20And a Volkswagen with air conditioning is kind of nice.

02:23We did a lot of work in here to hide the power window controls and the power door locks

02:29and all of the modern stuff and still make it look like a Volkswagen.

02:32All of the controls from the Dodge truck and the gauges are on a gauge pod that comes down from under the dash.

02:40So that while you're driving it, you get all the information that you were getting from the Dodge truck.

02:45But when you park it and get out, it goes back up inside and you can't see it.

02:49So it still looks like a Volkswagen.

02:54The Dodge is an automatic transmission and the Volkswagens are manual transmissions.

02:59It has a simulated brake pedal in there and a clutch pedal, but they're actually both brake pedals.

03:05It looks like you'd push the clutch in and do the manual shift, but it's an automatic.

03:09So it's nice and comfortable to drive.

03:13My favorite thing is that it's not a prop.

03:15You can get in it and jump in it. It runs, it drives, it does all the stuff it's supposed to do.

03:19It's not just something that's big and shiny and sitting in the background like it is right now.

03:24The funnest thing for this is being on the freeway.

03:30People just chase you to try to get up next to it.

03:34And then they almost run you off the road because they're not looking where they're going.

03:37And it will come as no surprise.

03:39This big bug attracts big bugs.

03:43There's quite a few offers on it that are standing, that are humbling,

03:47that people want to pay the kind of dollars they want to pay for something that we built and we love.

03:51But the Volkswagens not going anywhere right now.

03:54Just when I see it, it just makes me smile.

04:13You just got to try and get to my breathe.

04:14I know.

04:15It's not just a strong view.

04:17You just got to make me smile.

04:18You just got to feel my ai.

04:19You just got to feel my ai.

04:20We saw it as a straddle.

04:22You just got a surprise.

04:23You got to feel I'm glad.

04:24I found one thing.

04:25I found a big bugTImary.

04:26I was just looking for it.

04:27I found a big buggy.

04:28I don't think I just got a funny buggy.

04:30I got to be my ai.

04:32I got to feel my ai.

04:34I am I isn't here.

04:36The spelling bee.

04:39I got to look for it.

Category

Transcript

Recommended