Summary

Three-year custom restoration of body, interior, chassis and engine. Powered by a high-performance 2180cc 4-cylinder engine mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.

Details

The 1966 Volkswagen Beetle is the result of a three-year custom restoration headed by Josh Allred of Pendleton, IN. The original build was lauded by Hot VWs magazine with a 4-page spread documenting the project. The body is mirror-straight, coated with BASF black paint and under a beautiful clear coat finish. The interior is trimmed with Ultraleather's brilliant red leather on the door panels, seats, and headliner. Any exposed metal in the interior was color matched to the leather interior with DuPont vinyl resin dye. The tub was heavily customized to accommodate a set of 19x8.5 rear and 17x7 front billet wheels by Budnik Gasser. It features a split-window-era steering wheel, Ice Pick door handles, and a high-end Fusion Bluetooth stereo with JL Audio 500/3 amplifier hidden under the rear seat cushion. Most of the wiring is hidden from view, even in the engine bay. The rear engine lid and rear taillights are from a 1958-62 generation Beetle. Body gaps were tightened to the point where beading was no longer required. Upon completion, all the chrome components were blacked-out to match the body color. It rides on Air Ride Technologies air suspension. The engine began as a Type-1 1600cc dual relief case that has been enlarged to 2,180cc with a compression ratio of 8:5:1 and is fitted with an incredible array of performance parts. Garry McNew of Kokomo, IN, built the engine with an 82mm crank, counterweighted and balanced, Engle W120 Cam, CB Performance 044 heads, CB Performance intake manifolds, Mahle 92mm pistons and rings, dual 40 IDF Weber carburetors, lightened flywheel, Stage-1 clutch, custom velocity stacks by Terry McKinnon and a 1969 Type-1 IRS transaxle mated to custom narrowed Porsche 944 axles. Most of the engine is hidden behind a custom shroud, with only the distributor, fan, alternator and carburetors showing under the lid. The present owner acquired this Beetle Cabriolet in August 2019. It had been five years since the feature in Hot VWs and he felt it was time to make some changes along with a full overhaul to make sure the car is up to date with maintenance. The Beetle was sent to Coachwerks Restorations in the fall of 2019. It spent four months in the shop having numerous adjustments and repairs made. Cosmetically, a more classic look was desired, and all the blacked-out trim was replaced with the original chrome trim. This is one of the most exciting and meticulously constructed examples of a custom pre-1968 Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet and it lacks nothing in attention to detail and mechanical condition.