Aluminum Split

[ScrapJunkie]

I would LOVE to have a brand new aluminum Split, and it does seem like a good deal to be a complete body including even the taillight housings. Like others said, drag racers, autocross racers, and even German-Lookers would benefit from aluminum panels, fenders, doors, etc.
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(O\U|U/O) Top Vw (o\UU/o)

[Skim]

make an aluminum barndoor 23 and now were talking.
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GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1954 Sunroof
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint

[Jason Eden]

[rossvw]

What about a Hebmuller? That would be a great body that would probably have a lot of demand... imagine building a custom Heb from an aluminum shell...

-Ross

[Skim]

Hebmueller. I think this would definitely sell due to the fact that there was a high demand for the steel repro body that was being produced in Austrailia a few years back (no longer) and the price of a real Hebmuller in general is high enough to make somebody want an aluminum one. Where as a split beetle is still out there and available if you want one.
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GFK
Samba since before the towers collapsed. Still here.
1953 Kabriolet
1954 Sunroof
1959 Lowlight Ghia vert
1960 Lt Grey Double Cab SMZ LEGIT
1963 Deluxe Turkis Walk Thru 15 Window OG Paint

[Macca_nzl]

It would be sweet to have a aluminium split body, the only downside that i could see would be that demand would skyrocket for parts like dash pods,lenses,interiors, meaning it would be a disadvantage for real split owners looking to restore one.Supply vs. Demand .......

just my two cents

Mac
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71 1302s

wanted - Blade from ambo fans.

[mr. warehouse]

I'm with Gabe,
Do a Denzel, Rometch, pre-A, or even a '52 down 'vert.
Make something the everyday guy can't go out and buy now.
Splits are still out there

[Thanatos]

I agree with other members that a coachbuilt or a Porsche of some sort would be better than a regular Bug, even if it's a split or an oval. Splits and Ovals are out there, albeit not as common as they were when one could still buy a new air-cooled Bug in the US, but something along the lines of a Rometsch Beeskow, a Denzel, a Dannenhauer & Stauss, a Hebmuller, a Porsche 356-1 (the very first Porsche) or a Porsche Carrera Abarth, would be something that would be of interest to fans of coachbuilt cars and/or the unusual. Another idea would be to reproduce the VW30 prototype that led to the VW38 and KdF-Wagen.

[Shadd]

Why not an aluminum bodied Porsche 550 Spyder? I would give my left nut for something like that....

[Bruce]

Five years and it never happened.

Not gonna happen, especially for $10k.
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[fifty-five]

I would love to get some aluminum panels. How cool would it be to save weight and still be able to say it's a all metal car, no fiberglass here. Rib doors, four tab hood, vert w decklid, and fenders sounds like a winner to me! Then I could finish out my originals when the body work and paint is being done and hide them away just in case I ever want to go back stock.... like that will happen
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FUCK CANCER
1955 Ragtop Oval
"Lil Wheezy"
2276 turbo

[panzerfuska]

this might be irrelevant, but still a possible alternative: how about a kubelwagen body? one that you can use without concern of ruining an original off-road? i'd be definitely interested.

[tstracy39]

I'd consider a replica Rometsch Beesgow as has been suggested already. As for an aluminum split, I'd much rather have a steel one. An aluminum Porsche or Hebmuller sounds good to me also, and if you want my advice I'd reproduce one of these rare and exotic models because with a Split Beetle body you'd have to worry about all the repro and original parts out there fitting your repro Split body, with a Romy or Heb you don't have to worry because the buyer would have no choice but to make all the missing parts from scratch or adapt period VW parts anyway. The one I'd actually pay money for would be a replica of a 1937 prototype, make a believable reproduction body of that and now you're talking.
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Check my classifieds for kewl gauges:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?username=tstracy39

[JESSEJAMES]

[Bruce]

[JESSEJAMES]

[derRHDmeister]

[sled]

[overrestored]

I realize this is an old thread...

Repro's of a split would be nice... but they are not that rare (as has been previously stated). It has also been suggested to repro a more rare car... like a coachbuilt... and this might attract more attention.

But what about creating an entirely new "old coachbuilt" of your own design... in the style of the old cars?

An entirely new creation... if done well... Think Denzel, or Drews, or 550... or Waibel, or Glockler... somewhere in that vein... or even similar to that recent Rometsch Race car... this open body shape is very desirable... But not a direct copy of any of them...

The Glockler body or Rometsch race car are really attractive... so I would say that styling... but another version rather than a copy.

It should utilize all the existing vintage components available... stock headlights... some sort of stock taillights... available blinker assemblies... dash components... and a stock pan... swingaxle. I think it would be ok to raid any circa 1955 or earlier Porsche or VW parts bins for these components. especially if these parts were repro'd so that somebody who doesn't have access to the hard original parts could still build one of your cars... and then later... could slowly upgrade to more rare orig parts.

It might be called a kit by some... but if done with thoughtful attention to period details of the 1950's... I think the car would receive a warm welcome. There is logic and attractiveness to an entirely new vw coachbuilt... so long as it appears as though it were created in the period.

I like the repro hebs... and don't mean to be accidentally making any "comment" about them. They are quite well done and... well I will just leave it there.

I am just thinking that by creating an entirely new Coachbuilt... the creator would be expanding the VW Scene in a new direction.

[eurodub]

every handcrafted car is unique to a certain point. where a man's hand ability does the forming and not the high pressure and steel molds there will always be a degree of freedom. a panel not sitting right, like someone said his rometsch has a longer door than the other. a gauge set that was available only for a car... handles etc.
so if someone thinks that an aluminum vw should be made, i say it can be done by anyone, and not for sale or a limited run. i for example like that heb coupe that was present at hessisch, not original but definitely a nice vintage approach. i think that all of us would appreciate such a built and would not hurry up to post it in the abortion thread...

ps. a shortened pan would be far more sexy than a all steel tube chassis.
and for a tight budget a 36hp and some stock parts would be more than ok.
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1960 1200 model 117 deluxe ragtop
1974 T2 Westfalia Campmobile
1976 MK1 Golf