1956 Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet Custom Turbo with 300 hp

Yes, we know that the mirrors need to be flipped around and that the front wheels are reversed. As the photographer and not a VW expert, when I took the car cover off of the car and the car off the jacks to install the wheels for the photographs, I did not know the subtle nuances of the setup. My apologies to the purists.

This car looks brand new and conservatively stock except for the Cuisinart wheels and a slight rake, but it is far from it. Everywhere you look it is absolutely pristine. Built by the best to better-than-new specs as a show car with a racing engine detuned to about 300 horsepower for street use. This turbo engine is capable of 500 horsepower under racing pressures. This engine has never been subjected to those pressure but is capable of withstanding them, should you wish to "dial it up". This car is set up to drive easily as a weekend driver and is not at all fussy like a race car, even though it is built like one.

Very close to being a 100 point car. One of, if not the finest Volkswagen Cabriolets you have ever seen. Built by Volkswagen specialist Benjamin Strong to exacting standards in the Euro-Techno Style. Less than 50 miles on the car since full custom build. There are 18,342 miles on the original odometer, but this has probably been around once. This car has been mostly trailered. Absolutely everything on the car has been addressed, taken apart, renewed, refinished, replaced or whatever it might take to make this car as good as it can possibly be. The chassis is completely built/rebuilt as if new. The body has been refitted, restored, and refinished including all fasteners, attachments, and gaskets. Everything in the Engine and drive train is new and high-tech, including the fuel delivery system, hydraulic clutch, wheel bearings and suspension. Nothing in the engine and drivetrain is less than state-of-the-art including computer controlled fuel injection/ignition that can be tuned as you drive to your performance curves by cell phone from the factory in California. Nothing has been left untouched. $110,000 invested not including the Owner's labor of love.

Chassis: Entire pan soda blasted and dipped. The pan was stripped, rebuilt, strengthened, gusseted, and refinished. The serial numbers on the body and pan match. The pan and chassis are fully powder coated to show-quality satin finish.

Body: The serial numbers on the body and pan match. Entire body soda blasted and dipped. All body parts are the correct parts for the year. All fasteners stainless steel button head or other appropriate stainless steel fasteners. The body has been sectioned and realigned to original specifications with new rails and then concours refinished. The inside of the fender wells and all other under-car areas are show-quality finished and painted to the same degree of finish as the exterior. Approximately 600 hours of bodywork, painting, and making of custom sheet metal parts. Original correct H-Pattern apron has been discreetly custom fitted to the Turbo System. Swan rearview mirrors aftermarket reproductions of the originals. Original Wolfsburg Crest and Karmann badge.

The original deck lid and bonnet seals and channel were removed, body-smoothed and rebuilt to the Mexican seal system to eliminate the possibility of rusting. Entire interior of car has Dynamat sound deadening material - inside doors, quarter panels, floors, rear deck, front and rear firewalls.

Suspension: SAW Sway-A-Way suspension front and rear. 4½" narrowed and gusseted front beam with Sway-A-Way heavy duty leaves. 28mm Sway-A-Way torsion bars in rear. CB Performance adjustors. Urethane bushings. Rebuilt original steering box to factory specs. Chromed trailing arms. Chromed tie rods and tie rod ends, flipped for no bump steer. Original tie rod locations welded and relocated so that the steering does not hit the bottom of the gas tank with the new steering geometry. New king and link pins and bushings with 2½" drop spindles. AirKewld "Bad Series" 11" cross-drilled disc brakes. Rear discs are vented. Sway-A-Way adjustable swing plates in rear.

Engine: 2110cc Turbo Fuel Injected Engine built by race engine builder Benjamin Strong. CB Performance High-Roof aluminum case. 10mm ARP head studs. 82mm forged counterweighted nitrited crankshaft. Chromolly 5.7 inch H-Beam rods with ARP bolts. Rotating assembly balanced. Cima forged pistons with teflon buttons on wrist pins and Total-Seal rings. CB Performance round port heads. 44mm x 37.5mm stainless steel valves. Dual Hi-Rev springs with titanium keepers. CB Performance racing lifters. Chromolly push rods. CB Performance Turbo-Grind cam. Competition Engineering forged straight-cut cam gears. Heavy duty oil pump. 1½ quart deep sump oil sump for a total of 5½ quarts plus lines and filter. TO3/TO4 hybrid turbo 1-5/8" ceramic coated turbo header. CB Performance Quick-tune EFI programmable computer fuel injection - 65# injectors and computer controlled ignition system with 50,000 volt coil. AC Industries 95 amp alternator. Killer-V welded balanced fan. Anodized BMD serpentine pulley system. Custom Engine Shrouding built and finished to fit engine application. 3/8" Braided Stainless fuel line for fuel injection pressure and return lines. Braided stainless steel oil and breather lines. A/N fittings throughout entire fuel and oil system.

Drive Train: Rhino transmission case built with all Weddle race gears and solid shift forks, Super-Diff heavy-duty side plates and Sway-A-Way axles. Kennedy Stage-3 2600# pressure plate and Center-Force Dual Friction clutch disk, hydraulically operated. 17" x 7" front, 18" x 8" rear - Billet Specialties wheels. Pirelli P Zero Nero 205/40 ZR-17 tires in front. Pirelli P Zero Nero 215/45 ZR-18 tires in rear.

Interior: Authentic reproduction German square weave carpeting in "oatmeal" color. "Bone" color Leather interior including door and quarter panels. Polished billet aluminum door pulls, window cranks, and dash knobs. Authentic 1950s aftermarket Volkswagen dash script. Original restored flip-up convertible rearview mirror. Original very hard to find Big M Motorola radio. I'm not sure whether this works as it has never been hooked up. Glass plate is cracked. This glass plate can be restored by any glass company that does silk screening. New canvas convertible top has full headliner and original glass rear window. There is some sand pitting in the original roll-up glass. Authentic repro Bambus under-dash parcel shelf.

Miscellaneous: Gas tank hot dipped and coated (lifetime coating). Convertible top frame rebuilt and powder coated. New canvas convertible top with full headliner. All new wiring harness, fuse boxes, etc. All original switches rebuilt to factory specs. Braided stainless oil and brake lines. On-board VIAIR 280C air compressor with two gallon tank for fill tires and other compressed air needs.

Specs & Details:

Auction Date: 16 Dec 2009
No Sale: $35,100
# Bids: 36
VIN: -1-1005865
Miles: 50 miles on build
Engine: 4
Transmission: manual
Exterior Color: grey
Interior Color: cream
Horsepower: 300