The 1937 and later Ford models were not readily accepted by the Street Rod community initially. Known as Fat Rods, the T-bucket, the Model A, and the venerable 32 or Deuce crowd shied away from these longer, wider, and heavier models.
A few visionaries saw the potential for a more comfortable, roomier alternative. Today the 37 to 40 Fords remain the most popular cars to rod up.
In the same light, the 1972 and later 1302 and 1303 Super Beetles never achieved the popularity of the “standard” Beetles in the United States. I suspect that the archaic smog restrictions of the 70s did not agree all too well with bugs.
It is a bit of a shame that these truly driveable VWs have had a bad rap at least with the California Look crowd. Not Cool enough.
Ah, but in Europe, things were a little different. Adored by true drivers, the McPherson strut front end simply allowed for high-speed maneuvers impossible with the torsion bar front end suspension of earlier VWs.
This particular FatBoy is based on one the last Euro-spec 74 1303 Volkswagen Convertibles. Thoroughly disassembled from top to bottom, the body shell was reinforced with racing strut braces. A parade of Porsche parts come next.
Porsche 911 Carrera Struts and yellow ceramic disk brakes tie the front end together. Reworked rear torsion bars, Porsche 944 control arms, and koni shocks lower the rear end. Polished Porsche 18-inch Cup Wheels with Fulda rubber fill-in the reworked fenders quite nicely.
The twin turbocharged 3-liter Type4 is kept quiet by custom built, and very Porsche-like stainless, dual-tipped exhausts. Dual CB Performance 52mm fuel injection system provide more than adequate fuel to the big 103mm pistons.
Custom fiberglass interior flows in organic shapes in lucious red. Lightweight and very durable, it hides the GPS and audio/video gear from prying eyes. Twin Recaros in red leather cradle the driver and lucky passenger.
A silver, almost pearl color scheme is well suited for rapid autobahn storming. It ties in very appropriately to true Porsche and Volkswagen colors. Besides, silver is Germanys racing color.
The strongest visual clue that this ride is special is its chopped convertible top. Painfully sliced and diced, the top began as a standard Karmann built folding frame. The main bows were cut 5 inches, leaving precious little headroom when the top is up. Careful measurements saw a lengthening of the pieces above each door. The side and quarter windows needed replacing with custom built units that fit nicely. German cloth in black goes very well with the body and Porsche rims.
FatBoy, a true German juggernaught. Built for high-speed motoring, it is sure to bring satisfying smiles to those who get a chance to drive him.
