Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mark V., we get to enjoy this funky ’67 VW Beetle pickup conversion here on craigslist. In what looks like a well-executed chop job on the Beetle’s rear end, this example comes with an extra dose of utility not afforded by the conventional two-door body style of a regular Beetle. The seller says the conversion is of good quality and performed in the 1980s, and it appears to be holding up just fine.
Air-cooled Beetles were treated to any number of conversions, from Baja Bugs to Rolls-Royce knock-offs. From what I can see, this kit is smartly integrated without of some of the typical hack-job details that can plague oddballs like this. Although it’s hard to tell from this vantage point, the rear window is definitely from a pickup truck but looks well-integrated. While the bed is nothing you’d mistake for factory, it doesn’t look terrible – and certainly can haul more than a regular Beetle.
Inside, the details appear quite nice with clean carpets and an attractive dash panel. The seating surfaces have likely been re-done given the non-standard pattern, but they don’t stick out too sorely. The seller has tackled a fair amount of work in recent months, ranging from new wheel cylinders and brake shoes to flushing out the gas tank and rebuilding the carb. The only reason for the sale is due to the seller being out of the country too often to enjoy the Bug and use it as intended.
Located in the quaint town of Ellijay, Georgia, the seller is looking for $6,000. If you treat this as a regular Beetle that’s been looked after, it’s not an unrealistic price. Factor in the bed conversion and I’m not sure if it goes up, down or stays the same value-wise. For the Beetle collector that has everything, this isn’t a bad way to go to stand out at your next air-cooled event. Plus, if there’s a swap meet, you’ll have plenty of room to bring home a few treasures. Do you like your Bugs stock or chopped?
It’s cool. air cool.. but that “bed” doesn’t look too useful. Really just a flat deck that i wouldn’t want to put anything on lest it get scratched up. an actual usable box on the back it would be better in my opinion. Perfect for the garden center or parts store.
1967 is a very special year for Bugs, with plenty of exclusive parts. In other words, SACRILEGE!
Yes, one year features makes the ’67 quite collectible and worth preserving, but what’s done is done. It was the ’80s, after all.
Blueprint you are correct it was a transition year and there were in fact parts inside and out that only appear on this model year. I had one when I was in my teens. Kick myself for ever selling it. Mine was bought by a university student who totalled about a month after he bought it, dam near totalled himself too as he drove it under the back of a 5 ton lumber truck. The kit on this example is totally useless and looks kind of odd I wouldn’t want this car for any price.
Similarly, I once owned a 1966 Karmann Ghia which had a lot of one-year-only bits (1965 had the 40 hp 1200cc engine while 1966 brought the 1300cc 50 hp mill, in 1967 it was a 53 hp 1500cc; first year for 4-bolt wheels but still styled like the wide-5’s, 1966 was the last year for the swing-axle and the only year with 4-bolt wheels on the swing axle – all of the IRS cars had 4-bolt wheels; unique aluminum wheel covers for those special wheels, etc.) that would make it theoretically slightly more collectible, but as VW made hundreds of thousands of cars each year that value seems a bit negligible to me.
Yes, they made significantly fewer K-G’s each year, but the exclusive bits still didn’t promote the value, really.
Hmmmm….a VW truck.…with a bed that’s 3 inches deep?
OK, now I get it!
It’s a conceptual truck.…not an actual truck….
Too bad they didn’t swap in a type 3 engine-woulda coulda allowed a deeper more usable bed.
Interesting find though a chop job unlike this VW panel version which is a actual one of twelve built as prototypes by VW. I ran across this at a veterans car show memorial day weekend in Independence Missouri. Talked to the owner who restored it after finding it in a barn in Lee Summit Missouri, he stated he called a VW collector in California who could not believe he found it as there were only 3 others known to exist. Sorry don’t have a side shot as I forgot my camera so I asked the wife to shoot some pics of it and this is what I got.
Try the picture again.
It would need a pancake engine……then the bed could be lower and more useful.
It loaded it but sideways rather than straight up like on my PC, I give up.
6K is about 5.5K more than I would want to give for it… I never was a fan of these mutilated bugs and to me it would only be good for a dono
r car to rebuild an un -screwed up body shell…
People were doing a lot of psychedelic drugs in the ’80’s. This is the inevitable result.
I inherited my ex-wife when she gave me her 1962 red VW. It needed an engine (stop laughing). It had 80,000 or so miles. I worked at Blvd VW, Newark NJ at the time and got some of the parts together. I changed jobs to work at Siegfried Motor, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, about a mile from VW Home Office. I got the rest of the parts and put them together and drove the car until it turned 100,000! It was not unusual for people to brag that their car had 60,000 miles on it and never had the heads off! This was in the days when any car goes over 100,000 was a huge success. The 1967 VW was the best of the best. 1500cc engine, no anti pollution idle retarder, 12v (still had a generator), flat hub caps, normal tail lamps, no side marker reflectors. Far better than the 1966 with the 1300cc engine and 6v. And far better than the 1968 and newer. I would never have a VW even the new VW Diesel. I liked my 1971 Subaru, my 1981 Subaru, my 1995 Ford Escort wagon, in white, and my 2008 Fit is growing on my but I have only had it for 7 years. It takes a while for me to like a car.
$6,000.00 is 5,900.00 too much!
If you want a pickup, why so a vw?
Why not a real pickup?
If you custom build something like that, so do it right. Keep the lines, and not a square box.
It look wery homebuild :-(
it does have a trailer hitch, maybe only class II but I’m thinking a teardrop trailer
or tiny one for mulch, landfill runs, etc?
Yes, ’67 was the best of the “beetle”, bullet proof, pre-plastic, pre-emissions
If it only looked as good as this converted one. That be cool.