Looking back at modified automobiles offers you a sense of where culture and cars were colliding at the time. When Volkswagen Beetle owners began adding a Rolls-Royce front end to their German economy cars, it was clearly a means of having a little fun. We weren’t taking ourselves so seriously when it came to the have’s and have nots. If you were cruising in a Beetle, a Bentley was likely out of the question budget-wise, but you could give your homely commuter car a taste of the good life with a nose job. This 1969 Volkswagen Beetle listed here on eBay for $9,500 or best offer is a curious artifact from the past, and one that still draws a smile.
The Rolls-Wagen is also a terrific example of how this country has always been somewhat obsessed with looking like money even when you don’t really have it. We still see it to this day, with clothing likes meant to mimic high-end Italian brands, wheels that are supposed to enhance the “bling” factor of your humble ride, and big screen TVs to watch programming that looks the same on a 20-inch as it does on a 42. The Mini-Rolls is taking the rich aesthetic to a new level, however, especially when you consider how much money was spent to simply look rich, even when the one-percenters were likely snickering at this Beetle when it drove by.
It wasn’t necessarily perceived this way when the concept was first introduced. The New York Times even wrote an article about the Rolls-Wagen in the 70s when the concept first began to gain traction. The article pointed out that for under $300, owners could have their humble Bug converted to a mini-Rolls, with one of the companies specializing in the conversion based in Brooklyn. At the time, the reporter didn’t make it seem like it was an attempt to appear wealthy, but more another example of how Beetle owners loved to customize their rides, starting with the flower-power era, migrating to the “Cal-look”, and now even a Rolls-Royce in miniature form. For what it’s worth, this Beetle appears to have a nicely upgraded interior with custom two-tone leather seats.
The seller notes that he bought the car off of the previous owner’s farm, where it did run and drive around the barn yard. It has a large tow bar on the front, which typically means it was pulled behind an RV. There has to be someone out there that remembers seeing this thing behind a Winnebago! The seller notes that it does have a few rust spots, including beneath the landau-style roof. It’s worth noting that the Rolls-Royce modifications are quite extensive, going all the way back to the trunk lid and wire-style hubcaps. When it was built, I’m guessing this whole job cost more than $250, but who knows – in Oklahoma in the middle 70s, $300 may have gotten you the whole-body treatment! Do you think these Rolls-Wagens are charming or an abomination?
I remember parts kits for these conversions being sold in the J.C. Whitney catalog, back in the day. RR style front ends, Continental style rear decklids, you name it.
Same here. I remember the JC Whitney catalog having these. I also remember the ’40 Ford coupe ones too. I actually liked them back then.
Reminds me of the Cheech and Chong movie Up in Smoke!
I was thinking the exact same thing! 👍
Obviously these were meant as a gag, like those T-shirts that have a tuxedo on them. Ironically, somebody who could afford the equivalent of $2000 in today’s money on a sight gag for a Beetle was probably well above the median income.
These kits always looked like they may have had functional benefits, like extra trunk space or clearance for forced induction.
Man, you can barely tell the difference between this and a real RR.
I remember when these were common.
I feel old.
There was a ’40 Ford kit available also.
Do you remember the MG-TD replicas they sold to fit the Beetle chassis? For some reason, as a kid, I thought that would be cool. Glad that Dad poo-pooed the idea.
The great thing about the Beetle is that it wasn’t a unibody, so you could pop the body off pretty quickly and make it an MG, a Bugatti, a Porsche Speedster, a dune buggy, a Brubaker Box, a Bradley GT…and thousands did!
About 35 years ago, my wife wanted me to go look at a Morgan that was for sale. The “Morgan” was an MGTD Replica on a VW chassis.
I remember them but I never saw one as extensively customized as this. All I ever saw was the RR grille on the hood.
For this price, there are people unloading real Rolls’, desperate to get out from under the need to pay $1000 just to enter the repair shop’s property.
So maybe this is a deal?
VW parts are still pretty cheap and available, and you can do most work in the driveway, so yeah, that’s a fair case to make.
I have heard the Queen was niot amused.
Haha….nice!
The 40s Ford look are not only a tribute but a superb a real classic if carried through with fine detailing. Wish I had one. It’s sad here in Lincolnshire two barns are full of Beetles robbed of just their engines.
Something I’ve come to wonder about: could that nose be meant as a ’40 Lincoln instead? We all remember the Continental engine cover, and the Ford and Lincoln were similar.
Better call Vera or Father Brown.
The drivers seat upholstery is damaged in one picture but not the other….how is that possible?
People seem to forget, the Beetle was a major sales success. They were everywhere, and the aftermarket saw how easy it was to modify that car. Manufacturing speed parts, then flaired fenders. Then unbolt the body and using this fairly new and cheap material fiberglass, building on, off road vehicles out of the durable little car. It was a crazy time.
I’m 58, I haven’t forgotten. And I used to get JC Whitney catalogs! One whole page of the general catalog was VW long blocks, and they had a separate book just for VWs. When I was a teenager, a guy in my apartment complex had a Speedster on a Beetle chassis–which, of course, want much of a stretch.