There are few car communities that have embraced the spirit of hot-rodding and customisation as keenly as the air-cooled VW scene. For as long as there have been Beetles, splitscreen campers, notchback Type 3s and Karmann Ghias, there have been eager enthusiasts reimagining them as their own unique and eye-catching creations. And this is particularly engaging when we look at the oeuvre of open-top Beetles.
Volkswagen themselves offered convertible versions, of course, and numerous coachbuilders built their own interpretations of the drop-top format – but for true custom car cachet, the Wizard Roadster is the legend, the icon, the dream car. The concept was the brainchild of Peter Cheeseman, founder of Wizard of Rods in Slough in 1987.
Having spent a number of years creating two- and four-seat cabriolet conversion kits for Beetles, he had an epiphany when he reached a point at which rust-free donors started to become less readily available, and began producing full fibreglass bodies, the company rebranding as Wizard Roadsters in 1994. And so the trend endured, the concept evolved, and Wizard design ideas continued to be bounced around by enthusiasts, either in steel or composites, carving their own niche in the air-cooled VW custom scene.
The car we have here was built in 1965, and imported to the UK in 1982 (which is when it was first registered with the DVLA). As you can see, a huge amount of work has since gone into creating a full-on custom, with no stone unturned in pursuit of show-stopping excellence, and the Beetle being engineered to be as good to drive as it is to look at.
Right-hand-drive and running a 1600cc motor, the car has been extensively customised with a full wide-body conversion, all manner of smoothing, frenching and custom fabrication, and a fresh paint job in Nardo Grey. The interior has been retrimmed, and a huge amount of attention paid to the inner and outer details. It’s a joyful car to drive, and one that garners a heck of a lot of attention from passers-by. A fun summertime cruiser, ready to scoop up silverware across the show season.
There’s a beautiful simplicity to a Beetle interior, and this is very much accentuated by the approach taken with this project – if it’s superfluous, it’s gone. The driving experience is one of purity.
The details are all superb too: the steering wheel is a tasteful affair, both thick-rimmed and small, and the gear-shift is augmented by an EMPI shifter which gives it a nice short throw. There’s a new pair of bucket seats in the front, and the rear bench has recently been artfully retrimmed. The carpets are tidy, the dash has been finished in body-colour Nardo Grey, and both the gauges (for there are only two – a speedo and a fuel gauge) are working correctly. Beyond that, what else do you need?
It really does look magnificent, doesn’t it? We’re used to getting the odd ‘nice car, mate’ from passers-by when we take out cars for auction photoshoots, but this was something else – literally dozens of positive comments, people asking questions, passing cars beeping their horns and offering a thumbs-up – this is a proper feelgood car.
The bodywork is a work of art: the sculpted rear end is beautifully crafted to look as if there was never meant to be a roof there at all (and the car doesn’t come with a roof; it does have a sturdy breathable outdoor cover though), and the widebody conversion combines enlarged wings with broad sideskirts to create an imposing profile.
The arches are filled out by some frankly awesome banded steels (the rear tyres are a 255-section!), and no, it’s not on hydraulics or air-ride – that killer stance is there for the everyday, and it rolls static with real panache. The juxtaposition of arch and tyre at the rear is micron-perfect, but trust us, it drives really comfortably and happily goes over speedbumps.
A lot of custom work has been carried out to achieve the look, from the smoothed bonnet to the frenched-in taillights, and it all adds up to a proper head-turner. There are LED halo headlights on the nose and LED lights at the rear, satin bullet mirrors, a custom bootlid with frenched plate recess that sits slightly ajar for engine cooling… everything has been carefully thought through for maximum impact. There’s a lot of extra strengthening underneath, it’s been fully sealed inside and out, it’s ready to go.
This car is so much fun to drive. It fires up easily on the first turn of the key and settles into that characteristic flat-four thrum; the 1600cc motor sports a stainless steel exhaust which has a lovely deep (but not overly intrusive) tone, and the engine appears to have been well tuned as it drove faultlessly throughout our test-drive and photoshoot.
The EMPI shifter has a short throw and is reassuringly precise, with the lockout button for reverse working correctly. The car rides beautifully, far more so than you might expect given the aggressive stance; it’s running drop spindles, which allow the wheels to sit higher in the arches while retaining the correct steering geometry, shock absorber length and ride quality – and it shrugs off potholes and speedbumps with casual aplomb. The brakes feel strong, the steering is nimble, it’s a thoroughly entertaining car to drive.
Sometimes it’s really heart-wrenching to hand the keys back at the end of a photoshoot, and that was very much the case with this car. If you think it looks good in the photos, you should see it in real life – it’s a fabulous thing to behold, with the sublimely crafted coachwork and its delectable paintwork, and such magnificently cartoonish proportions.
You’ll always be making friends in this car, as everybody wants to talk to you about it, and the best thing is just how entertaining it is to drive; while a huge amount of effort has been poured into the aesthetics, and it would make for a successful show car, it’s also been engineered to be properly usable. The peppy motor has plenty of get-up-and-go, and it’s an eager and agile thing.
Whoever buys this car will undoubtedly wake up every morning thereafter with a smile on their face, content in the knowledge that they made a very good decision indeed.
Notice to bidders
This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only*.** Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.
A non-refundable buyer’s deposit is payable on this item, refer to FAQs and T&Cs for the applicable percentage.
VAT will be added to the buyer’s deposit as applicable.
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1965 Volkswagen Beetle – Wizard Roadster
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