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The Three Decade Evolution of a 1971 Super Beetle - Owner: Jak Rizzo

Jak Rizzo's 1971 Super Beetle 1302 is more than a long owned project car. It reflects a family legacy shaped by decades of driving, racing, and hands on engineering. What began as an $1100 birthday gift in 1990 grew into one of Australia's most distinctive German Look Super Beetles, built through persistence, creativity, and a lifelong connection to the Volkswagen brand.

It is often said that every air cooled Volkswagen has a story, but Jak Rizzo’s 1971 Super Beetle 1302 represents a lifelong legacy. The journey began in Australia back in 1990 when his father, Joe, purchased the car for Jak’s birthday for just $1100. At the time, the car was a completely stock, one owner vehicle finished in a shade Jak affectionately calls "Baby Poo Brown." Having grown up in a family where a Beetle was always in the garage since his father arrived from Malta, Jak felt it was only natural to carry on the tradition with his very first car.

The Super Beetle did not stay in its factory form for long, though the early modifications were humble. Jak remembers cutting the front springs for a slight drop and removing the bumpers before taking it on adventures along the East Coast. "My girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, used to take it driving on the beach at Nelsons Bay," Jak says. It was a comical sight to see a small German car navigating the sand alongside heavy duty 4WD vehicles, but the Beetle held its own. By 1993, the brown paint was swapped for a rare Quartz Metallic purple sourced from the Ford Falcon color palette, marking the first of many major transformations.

Performance was always a family affair, as Jak’s father was a professional toolmaker who insisted on building his own engines. Under his father’s strict guidance, Jak built his first 1641cc engine with a balanced bottom end and a mild cam. The duo was even featured in a local VW magazine in 1996, showcasing their father and son Super Beetles. Jak eventually caught the motorsport bug and began experimenting with larger capacities, moving from an 1880cc build that "simply sung" at 7000rpm to a torquey 2275cc monster that he famously swapped into the car over a single weekend.

In 2003, Jak took a leap into uncharted territory by planning a Subaru engine conversion. At the time, almost no one in Australia had successfully fitted a WRX EJ20T quad cam engine into a Beetle while maintaining the original luggage space. Jak used CAD software to plan the cooling system, placing a triple core radiator in the spare tire well and another for the water to air intercooler. "It has never overheated, never leaked coolant, and still has all the original luggage space," Jak explains. The result was a sleeper that looked relatively stock but produced 201hp at the wheels.

The car continued to evolve as a formidable track machine, eventually joining the Porsche Club of NSW for track days and hill climbs. Jak found himself in a love and hate relationship with the Porsche owners, as the Beetle was often faster than their precision German sports cars. To handle the massive increase in power, the brakes were upgraded with Nissan GTR 4-pot calipers up front and Ford Falcon hardware in the rear. The suspension was equally sophisticated, featuring custom adjustable struts with Porsche 944 inserts and a front spoiler designed by hill climb legend Ben Durie.

Today, the 1302 stands finished in a stunning Porsche Arena Red, a color choice that reflects its high performance capabilities. The rebuilt Subaru engine now pushes 272hp on high boost, supported by a heavy duty gearbox featuring Australian made Albins gears. Despite the racing pedigree and the trophies for drag racing and circuit events, the car remains a practical part of the family. While it no longer handles the daily school run now that his children are grown, they still enjoy joining Jack on the track as passengers to feel the power of the car their grandfather bought decades ago.

The passing of Jak’s father a few years ago added another layer of meaning to the vehicle. Joe was always proud to see the car being driven constantly and cherished their weekly Sunday drives together. For Jack, the spark of excitement has never faded over the last thirty-six years. "Best of all, I simply still like driving it and looking at it, the joy of owning it has not faded," Jak says. It is a true high performance heirloom that proves a Super Beetle can do everything from beach driving to dominating the racetrack.

A Decades-Long Detour to the 1302 - Owner: Spike Klimer

Spike Klimer's 1971 Super Beetle is more than a familiar shape from his childhood. It represents a connection that began nearly fifty years ago and stayed with him long after the original car disappeared. What started with a powder blue 1974 Super Beetle in his family's driveway grew into a lifelong appreciation for the design, sound, and character of Volkswagen's most iconic model. Finding this 1971 sunroof car brought that early memory full circle and marked the beginning of a new chapter behind the wheel.

The 1971 Super Beetle is more than just a car for Spike Klimer; it is the culmination of a mechanical obsession that took root nearly fifty years ago. It all started for Spike in 1978 or so. One day, a powder blue 1974 Super Beetle appeared in the driveway of his suburban home. While his family saw a simple commuter for his mother, Spike saw a machine that defied the status quo of the typical 70s station wagon.

"The shape was confounded and shapely," Spike recalls. "It wasn’t like the other sedans and station wagons we usually had. And, it sounded different. A very distinctive sound. The kind of sound that sticks in your brain forever." At the time, he didn’t know what an air cooled flat four was, but he remembered that sound. Then, there was the smell. "It smelled like only a VW could. I don’t know if it was the material used or what, but you could blindfold me and put me in a Beetle, and I would know what kind of car it was. It’s one of the things that stuck with me."

Growing up in a household where cars were just appliances, Spike was an outlier. He found himself pouring over the details of the design. "The fenders. They were round and not flat on the side of the body. Running boards. It was like a car from the 30s or 40s. Why couldn’t the rest of my family think this thing was cool?" His bond with the blue Super grew during rides with his mother, where he learned the nuances of a manual transmission from the passenger seat. "With guidance from my mom I knew when to shift and what gear to use, just by the sound of the engine RPMs. I was getting pretty good at it too. I lived the time I got to spend with my mom in that blue Super."

The childhood dream came to a screeching halt when a tow truck driver hauled the car away with the parking brake engaged. "He drug that poor Beetle all the way to the garage two towns away with the tires screeching, leaving marks the entire way," Spike says. That was the last he saw of the car, but the spark was lit. He spent his youth in libraries reading about hot rods and eventually picked up a camera to document the automotive world. He went on to become an editor of a magazine featuring traditional style hot rods and customs, but that 1974 Super Beetle remained wedged in the back of his memories..

The search ended recently when Spike spotted a 1971 Super Beetle on Marketplace just a half mile away. "There she was, sitting on a little side street under a tree," he says. "Sitting in it instantly brought me back to the Blue Beetle from my youth." After a trip to the bank and a conversation with his wife about why he needed the car, Spike was finally a Volkswagen owner.

The car was a rare find: a 1302 sunroof model with only 82,000 documented miles. It spent most of its life in Iowa before moving to Pennsylvania. Though it required a trip to a local specialist to get it roadworthy, the investment was worth it. "He was able to determine exactly what the issue was and exactly how much money I had in my bank account," Spike jokes. Today, the car serves as the perfect subject for his photography. "I’ve taken quite a few pictures of the car since I’ve owned it. It’s so photogenic. I still shoot a lot of film as well as digital. Print magazines are all but dead so work for me has dried up. But, I still have my Beetle. And film."

The Hot Wheels Dream - Owner: Stanley Prokorat

This builder's connection to the Volkswagen Beetle began long before the first wrench was turned. What started as a teenage fascination with the Beetle's curves and unmistakable shape eventually grew into a lifelong passion that followed him across continents. The car represented freedom, personality, and a kind of mechanical charm that modern vehicles rarely capture. That early spark never faded, and it set the foundation for the project that would become his ultimate vision of a custom Super Beetle.

For some, the obsession starts with a toy car in a sandbox. For this builder, the fascination with the Volkswagen Beetle began as a teenager, captivated by those quirky curves and that unmistakable silhouette. More than just a simple commuter, the Beetle represented a symbol of freedom and personality that most modern cars simply cannot replicate. It is a timeless charm that gets under your skin and stays there for a lifetime.

The journey truly began in the Czech Republic, where the purchase of a first Beetle turned a childhood dream into a mechanical reality. That initial car sparked a lifelong passion for air cooled engineering that eventually followed the owner across continents. After moving to the United States, the obsession only intensified, leading to the ownership of two more Beetles over the last thirty years. Each car brought its own set of quirks, stories, and a permanent place in the archives of a life lived behind a flat windshield.

In 2022, the search for the ultimate project led to a 1973 Super Beetle located in Palm Coast, Florida. Once the car was delivered to its new home in Ohio, the real transformation began. The vision was clear: create a real life tribute to the iconic Hot Wheels Beetle. This meant moving beyond a simple restoration and diving into the world of heavy customization, blending a classic Euro look with a bright yellow aesthetic that demands attention.

To achieve that aggressive stance, a full body kit from Creative Car Craft Company was installed, featuring wide fenders, custom running boards, and a bold front spoiler. The exterior was matched perfectly to that nostalgic Hot Wheels yellow, ensuring it would turn heads at any show. Underneath, the suspension was overhauled with a Top Line Parts low pro kit up front and beefy VW Bus rear axles to handle the power. BBS Retro rims wrapped in Diamondback Goldline tires provide the perfect wide stance for both traction and style.

The heart of this beast is a 2332cc performance engine custom built by Simpson Racing Engines. This is no stock 1600; it is a high displacement monster featuring a CB 84 stroke wedge mated crank, Pauter rockers, and an FK 8 cam. With a Pentroof aluminum case and dual carburetors, this engine is built for massive torque and can rev up to 7000rpm. A 1 5/8 inch stainless sidewinder deluxe exhaust system provides the tuned backpressure and growl necessary to match the high performance DNA under the deck lid.

Inside the cabin, the attention to detail continues with custom F1 leather floor mats and tinted windows. The project is still evolving, with a ragtop currently on order from Brazil to add that perfect vintage soul. Future plans include swapping in racing style seats to match the motorsport vibe of the 2332cc power plant. Once the ragtop is installed before the Ohio winter sets in, the transformation into the ultimate VW Beetle dream machine will be nearly complete.

Today, this vibrant yellow Super Beetle is a fan favorite at events like the Buckeye German Jubilee and cruises through Geneva on the Lake. It stands as a rolling tribute to the VW scene, bridging the gap between nostalgic youth and modern performance engineering. It is a testament to the enduring spirit of the air cooled community and a reminder that with enough creativity and horsepower, a childhood toy can truly come to life.

Scrap to Scandinavian Snow - Owner: Harald List

Harald List's 1973 Volkswagen 1303S is a reminder of what determination and patience can accomplish. He discovered the car abandoned in a garden where it had been sitting untouched for seventeen years, and at only eighteen years old he committed himself to bringing it back to life. The restoration shaped both the car and its owner, and seven years later the Super Beetle has become a dependable daily driver that continues to prove its worth on every trip.

At just 18 years old, Harald List took on what many would have written off as impossible. His 1973 Volkswagen 1303S was little more than scrap when he found it abandoned in a garden in his hometown, where it had been sitting untouched for 17 years. That discovery marked the beginning of a full restoration that would shape not only the car, but Harald himself. Seven years later, the Super Beetle is very much alive and earning its keep as a true daily driver.

This 1303S is no trailer queen. Harald uses it for everything, from commuting to university and grocery runs to long road trips that most modern cars would hesitate to attempt. Every mile adds to the story of a Beetle that was built to be driven, just as Volkswagen intended.

Harald’s passion for vintage machinery runs deep. Growing up around cars, he was heavily influenced by his father, a lifelong automotive enthusiast who introduced him to the charm of air cooled boxer engines. One car in particular left a lasting impression. His father still owns a 1968 Steyr Puch Haflinger powered by a two cylinder air cooled Puch boxer engine. Harald learned to drive in that little off road machine at the age of eight, and the sound of its cooling fan echoing across the Dutch landscape is a memory that never faded.

The most ambitious chapter in the Beetle’s life came in February 2024 with an unforgettable winter expedition to Scandinavia. Along with a group of friends from his student association (@esavdebeunbazen), Harald set out on a 5,500 kilometer journey that pushed both drivers and cars to their limits. The route carried them 220 kilometers into the Arctic Circle at the heart of winter. While the rest of the group questioned the wisdom of bringing a Beetle along, Harald never hesitated.

Fully loaded, the 1303S rose to the challenge. Harald added heated seats and rerouted the rear passenger heating outlets to the front to maximize warmth, though a thick winter coat remained an essential companion. The trip began in Flensburg, Germany, then continued through Denmark and Sweden, down through Norway, and back again through Sweden, Denmark and Germany before finally returning to the Netherlands.

Over eleven days, the group crossed frozen lakes, navigated icy roads, and rolled through remote villages where finding high octane fuel was often a hopeful gamble. Through it all, the Beetle never missed a beat. The rear engine and rear wheel drive setup proved ideal in snow and ice, delivering traction and confidence when it mattered most.

Looking back, Harald says he would not have chosen any other car for the journey. His 1973 1303S has already proven itself far beyond expectations, and if its past is any indication, this Beetle’s greatest adventures are still ahead.

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