When Mexico City hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics, two wrought-iron Volkswagen Beetles of unknown origins were created and put on display to promote the significance of Volkswagen in the country.
In the late 1970s, artist and blacksmith Rafael Esparza-Prieto created a rolling replica as a decoration for an assembly plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The body was replaced with one made entirely of wrought iron. It featured over 2,500 curlicue designs, all done by hand with nothing but furnace, hammer, and anvil.
Shortly thereafter, in the early 1980s, Esparza-Prieto created another, fully functional replica (pictured here) for the owner of Casa Linda, a Mexican restaurant in Montecito, California. The interior, chassis, and powertrain of a 1970 Beetle are stock. The owner used the car to transport diners to and from the neighboring city of Santa Barbara. It was later used as a restaurant decoration.
This car was sold at an auction in 2019 for $78,400.
Grogg2000
This car was featured in a film with Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer if i recall right
StarChaser_Tyger
Nifty. I’ve seen one of the others in pictures, it had been hit and one of the fenders was bent in and rusty. This looks immaculate.
goodneed
The most air cooled of them all.
Halftrack_El_Camino
Now, that’s just sublime. Kept scrolling to see if it had an engine it and everything, and yup. She’s all there, and looking clean as hell. What a cool thing.
Gunhild
Imagine catching your belt loops on this thing any time you go near it.
mightyscoosh
Strange to have gone through all that effort and then use the interior door handles on the outside.
upstartanimal
That’s gorgeous, actually. Taking air-cooled to the next level and improving the original AC to boot.
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8 Comments
When Mexico City hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics, two wrought-iron Volkswagen Beetles of unknown origins were created and put on display to promote the significance of Volkswagen in the country.
In the late 1970s, artist and blacksmith Rafael Esparza-Prieto created a rolling replica as a decoration for an assembly plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The body was replaced with one made entirely of wrought iron. It featured over 2,500 curlicue designs, all done by hand with nothing but furnace, hammer, and anvil.
Shortly thereafter, in the early 1980s, Esparza-Prieto created another, fully functional replica (pictured here) for the owner of Casa Linda, a Mexican restaurant in Montecito, California. The interior, chassis, and powertrain of a 1970 Beetle are stock. The owner used the car to transport diners to and from the neighboring city of Santa Barbara. It was later used as a restaurant decoration.
This car was sold at an auction in 2019 for $78,400.
This car was featured in a film with Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer if i recall right
Nifty. I’ve seen one of the others in pictures, it had been hit and one of the fenders was bent in and rusty. This looks immaculate.
The most air cooled of them all.
Now, that’s just sublime. Kept scrolling to see if it had an engine it and everything, and yup. She’s all there, and looking clean as hell. What a cool thing.
Imagine catching your belt loops on this thing any time you go near it.
Strange to have gone through all that effort and then use the interior door handles on the outside.
That’s gorgeous, actually. Taking air-cooled to the next level and improving the original AC to boot.