No matter how advanced and modern our era gets, we are hopelessly in love with retro stuff. Vintage-inspired styles are again trending, and when it comes to automobiles, we cannot think of anything more reminiscent of the old and good days than the Volkswagen Beetle.
As the name hints, The Volkswagen was originally built as the “people’s car”, cheap and practical for the new roads popping up around Germany. It was first designed in the early to mid-1930s and available in 1938, but at the end of the 1940s, it became a commercial hit.
Then, the car was internally designated The Volkswagen Type 1 and marketed simply as The Volkswagen. Yet, later models were designated Volkswagen 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302, or 1303, the former three indicating engine displacement, the latter two derived from the model number.
Since 1938, more than 21 million of the adorable little cars were made, and the last one rolled off the assembly line back in 2003, meaning the car remained in production for a whopping 65 years!
These cute bug-shaped autos are often in vibrant colors, such as green, blue, yellow, and orange, which add to their unique look.
Sadly, Volkswagen announced that it is saying good-bye to the Beetle this year after over 80 years of production.
Brent Walter used Classic VW Beetle’s fenders to build customized Volkspod motorcycles
However, this decision does not stop people from celebrating the legendary car.
Recently, Brent Walter, a maker and builder of various things took the classic Beetle’s iconic wheel hubs and repurposed them for his custom miniature motorcycle design.
Building things and making scooters in his home shop is just a hobby, as Walter manages the manufacturing of medical devices.
The scooters sport tiny 79cc engines, head/taillights, and classic green & blue paintjobs
To test his skills and get a trophy for car shows, he decided to create the Volkspod.
“I wanted a scooter to take to VW shows. These fenders were left over from building my car. I also wanted to practice welding the thin sheet metal panels.
On his Instagram, he has been documenting the process of creation since the first day, and he provides a detailed account of the way the motorcycles were built for the motorheads.
His scooters use custom-built frames with Volkswagen engines built-in and covered by type 1 classic Beetle model fenders. They have a retro bike handlebar, a seat, and head- and tail lights.
He also made two classic variants: birch green and pastel blue.
Brent has been building the two bikes since March of this year.
He explained:
“The original (green) has a 79cc motor and is more for looks than it is practical. The second (blue) one has more ground clearance and a 212cc motor. It is more practical to ride around on the road.”
Even though it is a vintage car, Walter found it easy to find parts for the Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle.
“There seems to be plenty of old Beetle fenders at swap meets.”
The Classic Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkspods in action
Sources:
www.boredpanda.com
www.demilked.com
www.designboom.com
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