Book Review by Maggie Woods | Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers

Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers

MOST PEOPLE OF A CERTAIN AGE HAVE A BEETLE TALE. Mine is that in the early 'Eighties I reluctantly drove one a short distance for a friend. I say reluctantly, because it was to be dismantled to provide parts for a kit car — and because I have always been rather fond of Beetles, it seemed to be something of a sacrilege.

In Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers, author Stephan Szantai talks of his love for cars and fond memories of "bouncing around" in the back of his aunt Gisela's 1971 Beetle. And in his Foreword Dean Kirsten, the Technical Director of Hot VWs Magazine, recalls cruising the streets in Orange County in a '62 ragtop Bug with his older brother in 1968.

In their time, VW Bugs were cheap transportation. They were fuel efficient, easy to work on and a blessing to both young families and college students. It wasn't long before this quirky little car caught
the imagination of a generation and the low-cost, utilitarian Bug was
to be found sporting a custom paint job, fancy wheels and tricked-
out engines. Bugs bore testament to their owners' creativity.

With the Flower Power era, the car became 'hip' and — together with the VW Camper Vans — a symbol of those times. Although some were painted in wild and vivid colours with flowers adorning the paintwork, others were owned by purists passionate about keeping their cars and vans original.

In eleven chapters, Stephan explores strange conversions and different incarnations of the VW Bug. The fascinating colour photographs speak for themselves: there are profiles of Bugs from all over the world, with details of their owners and a potted history of the vehicles.

Take, for instance, the 1951 Sunroof Beetle — a split-window bug owned by Corinne and Bruno Lascabannes in France. It still features
its vintage characteristics, accurate for 1951, but the engine is now supported by an assortment of high-performance products.

Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers book provides a fantastic overview of customized Bugs and shows the scene from which the demon bug emerged. Focusing on specific styles — "from the mild
to the wild" — all manner of vehicles are documented.

Matt Becker from the United States won his 1965 Beetle Sedan in a charity raffle, after it was built to take on a Honda CRX by VW enthus-iast John Hunt — who dreamed up this flaming red "10-second Beetle" which featured in a drag race on a programme called Pinks.

Cruisers and dragsters, sleepers and monsters, they are all captured
by Stephan Szantai's photography. Under the chapter entitled "Make It Different" you'll find a Manx-Style Dune Buggy, a 1969 Type 3 Convert-ible Fastback and a whacky 1973 Thing! Accompanying these remark-able pictures is the how and why of each car's build. These are the Bugs of a generation's dreams; a most humble vehicle suddenly and magnificently transformed.

• Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers is written and photographed by Stephan Szantai. Out now, it is published by Motorbooks in hard-back and is available from all good bookshops at an RRP of £16.99. ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-3162-0.

Stephan Szantai has been photographing VWs for 20 years. He started his freelance career with the magazine Super VW, published in his nat-ive country, France. Currently, his work is seen in 25 magazines world-wide.

Motorbooks is an imprint of MBI Publishing Company. Its titles are available from all good bookstores, wholesalers or order direct from Grantham Book Services on Tel: 01476 541080.

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