Dune Buggies have been giving Volkswagen Beetles second lives for decades.

The culture of creating lightweight beach buggies may have its roots in utilitarian purposes, but the humble two-seaters very quickly became one of the iconic parts of the 1960s youth movement in the USA - and ultimately overseas. 

The Volkswagen Beetle - or Bug - became synonymous with surf culture and was also the most common basis for a dune buggy for a number of reasons. 

For starters they were lightweight, while the rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel-drive meant the entire powertrain could be removed in a single pod, which made it far easier for home based customisers to create their own vehicles at minimal expense. 

It also made it far easier for the dune buggies’ fibreglass bodywork to be mounted atop the Beetle’s conveniently flat floorpans, plus there were plenty of Beetles that were tired, rotten and beyond economic repair, but were ripe to be reborn as sunseeker’s fun-mobiles. 

This example has been registered as a buggy for a long time with the DVLA so was built several years ago on a shortened Beetle chassis, made from the classic, well-loved but rare ‘Manta Ray’ kit, which is said to have influenced the styling of the Lotus Elise.

It has been freshly painted in an incredible Lamborghini colour and is the perfect summer fun car. 

ACU 269B began life as a Volkswagen Beetle in 1962 but it's changed quite a bit since then. The vendor is unsure as to when it was first built, but the fact that it’s registered as a convertible with the DVLA suggests it was done properly and registered as such when the work was complete.

the vendor acquired the beach buggy as a project vehicle earlier this year and has transformed it from a down-at-heel, rather drab-looking military green buggy to the rather vibrant and fun car that you see here, adding a few of his own custom touches. He’s a motor engineer and vehicle customiser by trade, so wanted to make his own personal mark on the vehicle.

There isn't a huge amount of paperwork with the buggy other than a V5C registration document and a handful of bills related to parts bought for it recently.

It is both tax and MOT exempt and registered as such with the DVLA.

The most striking thing about the beach buggy is the Blu Glauco paint, which is a colour developed by Lamborghini specifically for the Aventador supercar. 

It's an incredibly striking shade and it really adds brightness and vibrancy to the car, while the paint finish, carried out by the vendor himself, is pretty much flawless.

A lot of work has gone into the buggy over the past couple of months, having been bought by the vendor as a project, with the intention to rebuild it and to give it a really colourful Seventies vibe. 

The fibreglass body tub is in good condition and has no obvious marks or deterioration, while the look is balanced off with matt black detailing and an extremely cool set of white-band tyres and Wolfrace alloys, chosen by the owner specifically to complete the car’s overall look.

During the rebuild of the buggy, the vendor also cleaned up and rustproofed the underside and he reports that it's in very good order.

It also comes with a black leather-effect roof and side panels, should you wish to use it in poorer weather conditions. These weren't present on the day of our photo shoot but the vendor assures us they’re in good condition.

As you’d expect, the cabin of the beach buggy is very basic with just a central speedometer in the dashboard and no additional dials or controls.

It features black vinyl sports bucket seats with three-point racing harnesses, whilst a custom-style EMPI gear selector gives the appearance of an automatic transmission, even though the car has a manual gearbox.

With a dual branch sports exhaust system, the air-cooled Volkswagen flat-four sounds pretty fruity.

It has the performance to match, too. The engine has been upgraded to the larger 1600cc unit found in some later Beetles. The power output is fairly modest at around 70bhp, but the buggy has very little weight to it and as such is pretty lively. The exposed body work and low-slung driving position add further to the sense of speed.

The four-speed manual gearbox is a quick-shift system with closer ratios, adding further to the Manta Ray’s sense of fun. As part of its overhaul, the vendor has ensured that the buggy’s engine is in fine health, while he has also renewed all of the rubber pipework and hoses.

Brakes and suspension are standard VW Beetle items, meaning that parts availability should be extremely good and any replacement components you may need in the future will be inexpensive.

With the promise of warmer days and longer nights ahead, this is the perfect fun car to enjoy the upcoming summer. 

It has been lovingly refurbished to a truly exceptional standard by someone whose passion for working on and customising cars is extremely infectious. He's done a terrific job and chosen an incredible colour, while those Wolfrace alloys give the car a cheerful vibe that's impossible not to love.

In addition, this is one of the rarest and most collectible buggy designs, and that low-slung Manta Ray styling is incredibly sought after by those in the know. 

It's a terrific thing and one that promises to be a whole lot of fun.