At $6,995, Is This V8-Powered 1972 Volkswagen Beetle An Absurd Bargain?

Today's Nice Price or No Dice Volkswagen Beetle is about three feet longer than your standard Type I. That's because its engine has been replaced by a Ford 302 that's hanging out the back like a baboon's butt. Let's see if we can all get behind the car and its price.

Interestingly enough, yesterday's custom V8-powered 1973 Mercury Capri sold before we were able to fully finish our assessment of its merits and $19,500 asking price. More interesting is that it sold while being listed under the category of "boats" on Facebook Marketplace. I'm sure we all wish the Capri's new owner the best of luck with their purchase, and if any of us runs into them, the car's 54 percent No Dice loss should probably go unmentioned.

One of the key attractions of yesterday's Capri was the 302 V8 that had been squeezed under its hood. Aside from some subtle badging, no one would be the wiser regarding the presence of that potent power plant as it otherwise displays no other sign of the swap until the hood latch gets popped.

Today's 1972 Volkswagen Type I Beetle also has a 302 V8 swap, but there is nothing subtle about it, and unless you are addressing the car head-on, that switcheroo is immediately apparent and the most obvious aspect of the car.

One might initially mistake the V8 in this Bug for a Chevy mill as one of the noteworthy differences in thinking between Blue Oval and Bowtie small blocks is the placement of the distributor, with Ford's preference being ahead of the carburetor and Chevy's being behind. This engine's provenance becomes clear once you get used to the orientation and realize it's mounted backwards and not just in the back. Not only does the engine face the traffic it's pulling away from, but it also has its cooling system hanging out behind it, radiator, and all.

This all adds a good yard to the car's overall length, and the engine's weight added that far back makes us wonder just how good it might be at popping wheelies.

Not much effort has been made to keep the elements off the engine, although there is a cover over the carb, fashioned from the Beetle's original engine lid. That has both VW and Ford badging, which can only serve to piss off fans of both marques.

The rest of the car looks like a standard Beetle. The body has been painted yellow, and the fenders all black. In the front, the bumper has been replaced by nerf bars, while in the back there are trailer tail lights and a BBQ grill over the radiator.

The wheels and tires in the front appear to be proportional to the car, but those in the back are huge, tucked under Baja-Bug-style fenders. Amazingly, those wheels are only four-lug, possibly mounted on spacers. All of the tires appear to be in decent condition, and the odd sizing difference between front and rear meats is accentuated by the bold decision to eliminate the VW's running boards. All it really needs is a pair of posts on the front upon which to strap some unwitting victims to become the scourge of the upcoming post-apocalyptic highways and byways.

Based on the ad's pictures, the cabin is basic Bug. The only notable difference is the addition of a heater box on the parcel tray behind the rear seat. One major upside of the water-cooled V8 replacing the VW's puny air-cooled pancake four is that the Ford mill probably puts out enough heat to turn the VW's cabin into a sauna on even the coldest of days.

Craigslist

There's nothing fancy in here, with the stock vinyl upholstery and rubber floor covering giving off a parsimonious vibe. The car does have a more modern stereo in the dash, with the attendant speakers cut into the door cards and nestled on either side of the heater box in the back. I'd wager, however, that the V8 is louder. The dash also retains its stock speedo and gas gauge. It's surprising that no additional gauges have been added to monitor the engine's activities, leaving only the rearview mirror as the method to see if it's overheating or if a rod has left the chat.

What's perhaps the wildest aspect of this car is that, according to the ad, it was traded in at a dealership. Now, this obviously isn't one of those mega-dealers or the LaRusso Auto Group from "Cobra Kai." Instead, it's an operation so small it doesn't even show up on Google Street View.

The seller does show up on the Web, however, and in the Craigslist ad and on the dealer's site, this custom VW is listed as having a clean title and either 51,000 or 81,000 miles on the odometer depending on where you look. Somewhat comically, the dealer site also notes the car's expected fuel economy, claiming it gets 14 city and 19 on the highway.

One has to wonder, what did this VW get traded in for? Could the deal have been for something even more batshitcrazypants? That's highly unlikely since what could possibly be more absurd than this? A rocket-propelled hovercraft? A full-priced Fisker Ocean? The trade was likely for something more sane than this VW, but we can still imagine.

OK, let's get this show on the road. Since the dealer took this Bug as a trade, and likely would get laughed out of any dealer auction sites if they showed up trying to get it on the circuit, it's now up to Craigslist to put this VW into the hands of an appreciative new owner. I'm sure we wish the very best of luck to all involved in that eventual deal.

We also need to consider whether the dealer's $6,995 price will help or hinder in that effort. What do you say? Is this custom V8 VW worth that kind of cash? Or is that price even crazier than the car?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

Wichita, Kansas, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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