Beetle

Make
Volkswagen
Segment
Hatchback

The Volkswagen Beetle is undeniably one of the most recognizable cars in the world, keeping the same design structure for years underscored by the Beetle-like body. This makes it more interesting to see the car host a different body configuration built not just for a two or three-day show but as a daily.

Over at Jo's Fab Lab, owner Jo Riley reimagined the Beetle with a pickup truck layout. In a two-part video series posted by Hand Built Cars, Riley showed his VW Beetle pickup truck build, which comes with two doors, a bed, BMW's inline-six engine, and bodywork graphics created using Sharpies.

While the build looks a lot like a Beetle, Riley has put in different parts from different cars, including a BMW E46 chassis he got from his wrecked BMW wagon. Meanwhile, he got the Beetle from his wife, which was also wrecked after tanking the engine.

The pickup bed is said to be inspired by the Ford F-150, which some could recognize from the taillight. Initially, Riley fitted 17-inch wheels matched with a lowered body made possible by the use of air suspension. He wasn't satisfied with the overall appearance, though, so he decided to upsize to a 19-inch set.

The exterior package for the build includes the US-spec VW Beetle headlights, E92 M3 exhaust, and a front lower bumper borrowed from a 2014 Porsche Cayman. Meanwhile, the interior comes with a two-seater layout with Recaro seats, black carpet, and a sunroof collected from a Peugeot 206.

Riley uses the car as a daily driver and as a workhorse for hauling cargo for his shop. He encourages anyone to go for the build in their heads as anything is possible, as proven by his BMW-VW Beetle project.

One example is the 1963 VW T1 we found on eBay years ago. The owner spent a reported $60,000 to not only come up with a dedicated pickup bed but also turn it into a dragster, tuned to deliver 330 horsepower.