courtesy diecastaudio.com:
A new die cast “VDub” has been added to the Wave4 line. This is a great looking addition to any die-cast collection, especially if you focus on VW and Classic VW cars. The purple paint and the bloodshot eyeballs for headlights really set this off . . .
Just a beautiful job of driving in this drift video.
Nice to see a Classic Beetle showing the kids how it’s done . . .
Team-BHP is a car restoration forum in India, and one of the members posted his story about this amazing restoration, which was done in 18 months. The end result was the owner forming the Bangalor Beetle Club.
Found via Team-BHP.com
MidAmerica Motorworks has announced that custom leather interiors for the Volkswagon Beetle are now available as part of their product catalog. The custom leather seats available for all 1958-79 Standard and Super Beetles.
You can view examples of both custom and OEM options available for the Beetle at the MidAmerica Motorworks website: Custom VW Beetle Leather interiors.
It’s images like this that make me wonder “what could have been?” I wonder if anyone has ever compiled a list of the type of automobiles that have been left to nature. I’ll bet that air-cooled VW’s have to be near the top of the list.
From South Florida Daily
Show your support for the VW!
Now, as a computer geek and a VW Beetle fan, this product got my attention.
A USB Memory stick in the form of VW Beetles and Camper van. Not only that, the horn sounds and the headlight blink during the data transfer! A VW Geek’s dream!
For the computer geek, the 256MB memory is pretty week, especially considering the hefty price tag for comparable USB capacities. However - this is the VW Beetle, man!
Check out all of the cool colors and styles of the original VW Beetle and Bus:
* The Memory Stick Cars are a fun way to add some interest to your usual memory stick!
* The Memory Stick Cars are four individual products – please select your preference of either the VW Camper in Red, VW Camper in Green, Beetle in Blue or Beetle in Pink from the drop-down box above
* The Memory Stick Cars can hold up to 256MB each!
* The Memory Stick Cars feature flashing lights and beeping horns when transferring data!
* The Memory Stick Cars plug directly into your computer or via the USB extender cable – your computer will recognise the new drive instantly and it will be available for use without the need for other drives
* The VW Camper Memory Stick Cars measure approximately 4 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm
* The Beetle Memory Stick Cars measure approximately 4 cm x 2.5 cm x 1 cm
* The Memory Stick Cars are suitable for anyone who wants to jazz up their computers!
The old seatbelts were scary - that’s what my wife said.
Granted, they were the old canvas belts, but they were still semi-operational. In the front, it was only a lap belt. In the rear, they were cross-chest belts, without the lap belt. To make matters worse, one of the belts in the back was not adjustable. well - it was at one point, but really stuck. I explained that it was a safety feature - it’s not going anywhere.
Well, if I wanted to let the kids ride in the bug, the seatbelts needed replaced. I got a full set of belts manufactured by Beam’s Industries. They distribute through Mid America Motorworks, and I picked them up during my shopping spree at the Air-Cooled VW Funfest.
I picked up the non-retractable belts. I bought grey, because i figured that would match the colors of the bug, especially because I plan to change the interior to white, light blue, and grey (right now it’s all black; seats, carpets and headliner). I got three-point harnesses for the front, and lap belts for the rear.
The first thing that i noticed was that the directions were very general, not specific to the VW or the Type 1. I had to find places to install this, and they weren’t the anchor points in the directions.
I followed the existing belts and found that the left side was anchored to the seat itself. The right side was anchored to the frame. I got out my trusty air-driver and unscrewed the nut - only to find an even bigger nut came out with it - check out the view of the ground through the frame!
Yes, there is a plug-nut in the frame that the belt screw fits. I found this on both sides and removed them. Unfortunately, the plug nuts in the floorpan held onto the anchor screw a little to tightly, and needed a hefty dose of WD40. I figured out that i could screw the plug bolt in using the air hammer. That broke the corrosion and i was able to remove both screws.
The next issue was finding an anchor point for the shoulder strap. I checked out a few forums, as I was also looking for the anchor points in the rear seats as well. One thread on TheSamba was very helpful by showing the rear anchor points.
What I found were more bolt plugs. Fantastic - this was going to be easier than I thought. (yeah, right)
I found the anchor points on the door frames for the shoulder harness point.
I thought they would be located a bit higher, but they were literally over my shoulder. Good thing I’m a little on the short side. The bolt plug hole was right below the window. But here’s what I found: There were no bolt plugs in the shoulder-point, only plastic “filler” plugs. So, in order to get the front belts installed, I had to steal the bolt plugs from the rear in order to have the three-point harness installed correctly. 
My next parts order included four extra bolt plugs.
The finished product looked nice. it took a lot of adjustments to get it comfortable, and the belts adjust nicely. The main issue was getting it comfortable and to fit correctly over my left shoulder. If it was too loose, it slid off my shoulder to the side of the seat. However, because every strap is adjustable, I found the sweet spot for optimal safety and comfort.
Overall - it was a fairly easy installation. I found that the floor plugs may not tighten completely because of the screw inside of them. That seems a little disconcerting, but it may be the way they are supposed to be - it certainly doesn’t move. It really enhances the interior and looks much better than the old canvas belts. I don’t get those strange looks from people when they ride in the beetle for the first time. Old canvas belts are a little intimidating.
Yes, Lego plans to release a builder’s kit for the Type 1 VW Beetle.
Apparently, some of the VW experts went to the idea room at Billund (Lego’s headquarters in Denmark). They toiled over the bricks until they built an original VW Beetle. One of the Lego designers was so impressed that they added the car into the new production line, and the kit will be released in the summer of 2008.
