Mini RV Conversion: Rare 1973 VW Super Bugger

When a Barn Finds staff writer opens the “View Tips and Assignments” list, you never know what’s waiting for you. There’s usually one surprise, oddball, or head shaker for sale with a story behind it.  I had to claim this writing assignment because I’d never heard or seen one of these professionally-converted Beetle Mini-RV’s. Have you? The seller includes a print ad that features a quote from Motor Trend magazine that reads, “Not a joke, but a surprisingly good motor home.” The magazine had featured the Super Bugger in their December 1976 issue (and Mechanics Illustrated featured one in their June 1977 issue).This 1973 VW Super Bugger is located in the Oceano Dunes/Pismo Beach area of California and is listed here on craigslist for $23,000. A special thanks to one of our spotters, the talented Tony Primo, for sending this unusual mini motor home to us.

The seller doesn’t give us much information about the Bugger, other than that it’s from an estate sale and that it was brought out of storage. I know you can’t believe everything in an ad (I should know, I was an advertising copy writer for many years), but the seller says these “cute little campers were all the rage in the mid-70’s and were also known as the ‘Lil’ Bugger, MiniHome, or Bugaboo. It runs and drives great and has a clean CA Title.” A little online detective work uncovered that a small company in Costa Mesa, California, called Super Campers, did the conversions and also offered DIY kits. They started with a Beetle, cut off the body at the windshield, reinforced the floorpans, and built a wooden and fiberglass camper shell directly on top. This one is even more unique because of its custom purple paint job. The “hotrod” flames on the Beetle’s front hood and fenders and on the camper sides just adds to the humor of this Beetle-powered mini home. The sellers states that the Super Bugger has “upgrades to the chassis included body reinforcements, custom wheels, and upgraded suspension.”

Inside, the Super Bugger was cleverly designed and doesn’t waste an inch of space. The tiny RV houses a gas stove, sink with running water, ice box, water tank, a dinette that converts into a bed for two, and storage in the forms of cupboards, drawers, and a storage closet. The seller also says there’s a lot of faux wood paneling and shag carpet. The two front bucket seats appear to be wearing purple and black seat covers and an aftermarket purple steering wheel has been added.

The Super Bugger is powered by a familiar sight and sound: the Beetle’s dependable 1600cc, air-cooled, flat-four engine. The odometer is listed at 25,000 and its mated to a standard VW 4-speed manual transmission. I read where the camper added an additional 250 pounds, but reviews at the time said it could still keep up with traffic on the road. As you can imagine, documentation of how many Beetles were sacrificed and converted into Super Buggers at that small factory and how many DIY kits were sent out is anybody’s guess. It’s also unknown how many survived, though some sources say about 10 are around 50+ years after the major surgery. I’ve ended several articles saying the next owner probably won’t see another one at the local car shows and cars and coffee events. I’d probably remove the word “probably” from that sentence in the case of the Super Bugger. What do you think? Ever seen one of these cute mini RV’s?