Vehicle Description
Awesome pro-built Baja Bug with all the upgrades. 2007 cc engine,
Benco 4-speed, custom long-travel suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes.
Full interior with heater, stereo, and gauges. Documented. A
cost-no-object build of the nicest Baja Beetle we've ever
seen!<BR><BR>The dream for this awesome Baja Beetle
started decades ago when a young man bought the fiberglass
components to build his own back in the 1970s. Over the past 50
years, he's built dozens of cool Beetles of various types, but he
was waiting for just the right car to build his dream Baja. This is
that car. We have a stack of receipts two inches thick and a
massive album of build photos that tell the full story, and the
result is just spectacular. The color is a special mix we're
calling Baja Green, and it's a cool turquoise that suits the
cheerful Beetle just fine. Add in a white racing stripe framed by
black pinstripes, and you get one of the best-looking VWs we've had
in a long while. Finish quality of both the steel and fiberglass
parts is exemplary-the doors close with a solid THUNK, the decklid
fits flush, and the custom nose has even gaps all around, which is
none too easy when working with ancient fiberglass. Obviously there
are plenty of lights up front, a custom tubular bumper with
matching steps, and traditional VW taillights out back. All the
exposed tubular framework is custom-made and powdercoated. New
glass, fresh lenses, and fresh brightwork accentuate what is
already a beautifully built Bug.<BR><BR>Inside you'll
find familiar Beetle fare, including stock bucket seats, door
panels, and a factory steering wheel. You wouldn't expect a Baja
Beetle to be this nicely finished inside, but all the factory
equipment is intact and operational, including the heater system,
and the additions enhance what was already a solid package.
Obviously there are numerous auxiliary gauges to monitor the
warmed-over flat-4 out back, but you also get a decent-sounding
Pioneer AM/FM/satellite/Bluetooth stereo system, a bank of switches
for the auxiliary lighting, and even a grab handle for the
passenger. The custom cage hugs the contours of the bodywork and
mostly stays out of your way, and remarkably enough, the body can
be removed without touching it-nice engineering. There's also a
full back seat that's actually usable, as well as a correct
headliner with courtesy lights. Nice, right? The forward trunk is a
little abbreviated thanks to the Baja nose job, but it's nicely
finished and will hold a few overnight bags and service access is
unaffected.<BR><BR>The engine is a 2007 cc air-cooled
flat-4 that's freshly rebuilt with only a few hundred miles on it.
It starts with that traditional VW snarl and settles into an
anxious idle that means this Bug wants to play. There's a single
carburetor up top that makes it easy to tune and maintain, and the
exhaust header takes a unique 180-degree bend to keep it from
getting too annoying at speed. The entire engine is surrounded by a
custom-built steel cage for both protection and easy maintenance-a
few bolts and the whole thing just lifts right out. There's also a
remote oil cooler and filter, heavy-duty filter units for the carb,
and custom aluminum valve covers for a little flash. Tha
transmission is a Benco 4-speed unit that snaps through the gears
unlike anything you've experienced in a VW before, and the
short-shift shifter is far more precise than you'd expect. There's
lots of torque on hand from the beefy engine, so it pulls hard in
any gear and cruises on the highway at 65 MPH without much effort
at all. The floor pan is brand new, so no worries about rot, and
there's extensive reinforcement in all the critical areas. The
front suspension and subframe are custom-fabricated with
long-travel coil-over shocks, and there's a disc brake at all four
corners. There are even skid plates protecting the vital parts.
Remarkably, the wheels are from an early Ford Bronco with custom
hubs machined to match, and it wears 225/75/15 front and 235/75/15
rear off-road radials that are ready to get to
work.<BR><BR>Documentation is extensive, including
hundreds of receipts and build photos.<BR><BR>We
hesitate to add up the numbers on the build, but it's easily twice
the asking price. Baja Beetles are often junkyard dogs, but this
one was built as a lifelong dream and the extra care is evident in
every detail. It runs and drives extremely well, it's remarkably
civilized for an off-road creature, and the build quality is
outstanding. If you've wanted one of these, this one is superior in
every way and the asking price is less than the cost of duplicating
it yourself. We'd call that a win-win. Call
today!<BR><BR>Harwood Motors always recommends and
welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our
inventory prior to purchase.
