There are few cars whose life story is as layered and as colorful. With a production run that lasted 65 years – 1938 - 2003 – the VW Beetle is the first car to top the 20 million sales mark. Built originally at the behest of Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler, the Beetle’s designer, a certain Ferdinand Porsche, had a simple mandate: a four-seat car, simple to maintain, rugged enough for farm tracks and capable of highway cruising, yet priced so that every family in Germany could own one.

Post-war Europe adored the Beetle, and in the early '60s, America’s love affair with the humble Bug was in full bloom. For countless folks the world over, the Beetle was a perfect first car, a valued family heirloom, a racing car, and now, in some cases, a high-priced collectible. It became a symbol of the hippie movement, a movie star, and, as one would expect, eventually, a perfect car-modifier’s canvas.

Let's take a closer look at this Beetle.

But It's All Been Done Before, Right?

The list of modifications a person can make to their Beetle is a long one. You want air-ride suspension, a four-inch chop to the roof, and shaved doors? No problem. You want to retain the air-cooled flat-four and run 7s on the quarter-mile? Sure, can do. Looking to increase power and slide in a turbo-charged Subaru racing motor? Yes, it’s been done.

Stretch your imagination as far as you dare, and you can be sure that you will either find someone who has done something similar or potentially an engineering company to help make it happen.

They grey car is the test bed, the Gulf colored one is sold.
Via: V8StealthBeetle

But where would you look for the most radically redesigned and reimagined Beetle on the planet? Something that both retains the crucial, magnetic appeal of this global icon yet re-engineers its very DNA and launches it into the 21stcentury. California? Mexico? The United Kingdom? German? No, try Cape Town, South Africa.

RELATED: Modified Classic VW Beetles

3L Engineering is the playground and creative-lair of the massively talented engineer and artist Jean Fourie. Jean has always been a fan of the Beetle and has spent thousands of hours and South African Rands modifying, massaging, and molding them.

But he became frustrated with the limitations of the simplistic floor plan and air-cooled power plant. The idea of a mid-engined Bug began to form, but he knew the existing, 80-year-old, rudimentary platform – the floor pan, precisely – just wouldn’t cut it.

Let's Look a Little Closer at What These Guys Are Doing

Many would have (and many have) gone the route, either of strengthening the Beetle platform or potentially building a tube frame chassis as seen in much bespoke track and drag cars. Jean’s thinking, however, was already streets ahead of those ‘been-there-done-that solutions. Fourie’s answer was a CAD-designed, CNC cut, and precision welded aluminum chassis.

While Jean’s own welding skills are top-draw, a specialist welder is brought in to ensure the tricky alloy is perfectly joined. The new floor pan weights a feather-light 83 kgs (about 183lbs) while offering far better rigidity than the original part. The towers and mounting points for the front suspension – a modern, upper and lower wishbone setup from the E46 and E39 BMW suspension– are in place, as are the front and rear firewalls.

The workmaship is outdone only by the creativity
Via: V8StealthBeetle

A tunnel is engineering through the middle of the chassis allowing for cooling, fuel, electrics, handbrake cables, and gear linkages to be safely channeled from the front to the rear. A Chromoly tube frame mounting section is then bolted to the rear firewall giving mount points for the engine, transaxle, and rear suspension. Finally, the frame also includes points where the original steel Beetle body is attached once it’s been lowered onto its new innards.

And What About Power?

Now, when it comes to engines available, the water seriously starts to bubble. The original design was penned to accept the 4.2l V8 one might have found in an early Audi A8. The Getrag-designed and built transaxle gearbox – found in many front-wheel-drive Audi A4s – is a tried and tested match for the motor and will easily handle the power without any modification.

RELATED: Swapped! Crazy VW Beetle With Hemi Power

The team at 3L Engineering always had serious power dialed into the DNA of the V8stealthbeetle. It came as no surprise then when the very first customer car – sold to a gentleman in Germany – was fitted with twin-turbos mounted behind the engine and above the gearbox. As one would imagine, the standard (non-turbo) 350bhp is now considerably higher.

The question of how much power this configuration could produce is entirely dependant on your enthusiasm and the thickness of your folding money. Remember, with the mid-engine layout, race-car-like chassis rigidity, low center of gravity, and top-draw suspension and brakes. This Beetle could easily be considered stable and balanced (within reason) with power numbers twice as high as the A8 V8 produces.

Understated yet undeniably potent
Via: V8StealthBeetle

As 3L Engineering began receiving orders for the car in kit form – called the Chassis and Component Kit – from the US, the need for redesigning the engine mounts for some American muscle become apparent. The kit will soon be ready to accept the mighty LS3 Crate motor. An adapter plate for the Getrag gearbox will be supplied. The LS doesn’t weigh much more than the Audi motor, and the power outputs are similar. The big bonus with the LS3 is the availability of go-faster stuff you can bolt on, especially in the States.

The radiator is front-mounted but doesn’t require holes to be cut in the hood or lower valance – the airflow is channeled under the car and through the radiator. A 55l (12gal) fuel cell is mounted where you’d expect on the Bug, and the car can be set up for either left or right-hand drive. The cars are designed to retain the engine’s air-con pump and ancillaries, while the negligible weight on the front axle negates the need for power steering. Did I hear someone say, “proper steering feedback”?

One of the more novel features of 3L Engineering’s approach is its sense of community. There are scores of videos available, with more being added as pain points are identified, as well as a WhatsApp group. Jean is determined to make Stealth Beetle building a shared experience, albeit from opposite ends of the world.

The Chassis and Component kit will cost around $25k, while a completed car will set you back around $80k, excluding shipment. Regarding the car’s road-worthiness or your local government’s ‘street-license-able’ regulations, as with all kit cars or bespoke builds, the responsibility lies with the owner.

3L Engineering will do everything in their power to assist, but Fourie strongly urges you to find an engineer or experienced builder, perhaps attached to local racing circles or car clubs, who have walked this particular road with your local authority before buying the car or the kit.

It is worth mentioning that the first customer car – the German-based client – got his car approved through the highly strenuous German TUV regulations. The OEM spec (BMW) suspension and brakes, along with the top-draw craftsmanship, were an absolute must and notched up enough points to get the car passed.

We spoke earlier of Jean Fourie being both an engineer and an artist. Both terms can be taken literally, with Jean’s skills stretching from mind-blowing car builds to fine art sculpture. His passion, skills, practical problem solving, and seemingly limitless creativity shine through this build.

What Else Is This Audacious South African Company Planning?

So what’s next off the drawing board at 3L Engineering? How about a Morgan 3-Wheeler inspired trike, powered by a 1100cc or 1200cc Moto Guzzi V-Twin, mated to an automotive 6-speed gearbox. With a reverse gear. Watch this space.

A Moto Guzzi 1200cc V-Twin and a 6-Speed Automotive Gearbox
Via: 3L Engineering

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