When I saw this giant Bug, one word instantly came to mind, “yes”! There are a lot of oddball creations out there that are so poorly conceived and executed that you just can’t help but wondering why and what possessed the build to create it in the first place. While this one definitely leaves you scratching your head a bit, but there’s no doubt that it was expertly built and is absolutely amazing! It’s not truly a Beetle, as it rides on a Dodge truck chassis and is powered by a Hemi V8, but the body is extremely accurate to the original just a lot bigger. The guys over at the Barcroft Cars YouTube channel recently went and took a look at this beast!
Apparently, the builders wanted a VW Beetle that was 150% larger than the original so as to not be run down by modern California traffic, but they had to scale it back a bit to make it street legal. That’s alright though, it’s still a massive 40% bigger than the original. What’s truly impressive is how accurate it is! Without anything sitting next to it for scale, you’d never guess that it isn’t just a regular old Bug. Once it’s parked next to an actual Beetle it really sinks in just how big this thing is.
Mechanically, this thing is as far from the original Beetle as you can get. The engine isn’t in the back, rather it’s upfront, and it isn’t an air-cooled boxer four. Instead, it’s a 5.7 liter Hemi V8, presumably the one that came with the Dodge chassis that it’s riding on. There’s no word on how much it weighs, but it’s guaranteed to have more grunt than the 34 horsepower that was produced by a 1959 Beetle’s 4-cylinder! If you’ve ever seen one of these Hemi’s in-person, seeing one under a Beetle’s hood is a bit shocking and gives us a reference point for the scale of this Bug. Clearly, Jay Leno got a good kick out of seeing the engine when the car made an appearance on his show, Jay Leno’s Garage.
I’m not sure anyone needs a giant Beetle, but I for one appreciate the hard work the Tupper family put into this thing. The Beetle is a fairly basic vehicle, but building a replica by hand would be no small task, add in the size increase and it’s downright incredible. It’s the attention to detail and the engineering that went into it that really blows me away! Seriously, just look at the hideaway gauge cluster and the accuracy of all the trim pieces. I doubt they will be parting with it any time soon, but maybe one day someone will find it parked in a barn, it’s going to take a big one at that!
Special thanks to The Drive for bringing this one to our attention!
This desperately needs a “Yeah, it’s got a Hemi” mounted on its front bumper
Wouldn’t it be fun to have this,& an identical regular
sized one,& switch them out?
Pretty much looks like a new Dodge Challenger parked next to a original one.
Go buy an outfit that’s 3 times bigger and longer in size including shoes and hat. Put them on and drive to a highway rest stop. Get out sit on the curb and look confused. When people ask you if you’re ok….tell them “just a bit dizzy, the power plant sent us all home early because of all the purple fog”.
.
The level of detail is amazing except for the steering wheel.
I’d really like to see a side-by-side picture of the giant Bug next to a white PT Cruiser convertible. D’oh!
nah, i watched the video they made all the parts them selves and it is dodge based.
Would love to see BMW take a look at supersizing their car designs by 20%. My wife’s 2000 Z3 roadster was fun to ride in with the top up but no so much in convertible mode.
I have a 2000 Z3 also Neil. Your comment seems backwards to me?
Your right.
Ok I can understand drinking beer and talking about doing this, and maybe drinking a little to much and laying out some tools and equipment and starting to do it. But at some point don’t you sober up and go WTF are we doing.
It is an impressive build but I know I would never get past the drinking stage on a project like this.
I’m still not past the drinking stage….,
36 hp
I’d worry about parts availability. First Chrysler gets bought out by Germany (Mercedes-Benz), then Italy (FIAT), then France (Peugeot).
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/10/31/fiat-chrysler-peugeot-fca-psa-merger/
Who’s next, Albania?
No, it isn’t. First off, Fiero’s are mid engine. Secondly, they didn’t have a 5.7 L Hemi in them. Thirdly, this is a hand-built, not a kit. Lastly, this car was featured inside and on the cover of Hot VW’s some time back with construction shots.
Indeed, while there may well be another giant Beetle kit based on a Fiero chassis, this one clearly isn’t it.
I love both bugs! The big & the little bug! My first car was a white 1959 bug. I would buy both of these!
This is the 3rd, or 4th time the same Fiero “Comment” has appeared in the last month. Editor, please help…
Here’s another video of it……
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/07/30/just-cool-cars-massive-vw-bug-size-pickup-truck/87770700/