A 2.5l Subaru boxer in one of these must be plenty fast enough. Even the Beatles' engine would be enough for what it's for. Wonder how much it weighs? Around 700kg s my guess and that's fully wet around 750 to 800 kg.
If Tyler's has a 2.5 Subaru engine in it. I'm betting it also has decent suspension & disc brakes....Sadly this 550 replica looks nice but is slow & poor handling. It has potential to be really nice if they switched to a modern suspension, decent steering system, disc brakes & put some power into the VW engine. Like maybe do a turbo or twin turbo E85 VW build. The E85 will help the air cooled engine run cooler. It doesn't have to be super fast. But with say 120+ hp 120+ torque, with the manual gearbox & turbo would make it very fun & engaging to drive. Instead of a 🐌 🐢 that looks fast. This car is for someone who just wants people to stare & think he's someone special.
Fortunately the wizard is wrong about availability. You can still order from Beck setup for a VW flat 4. You can get them setup for a Subaru or even electric motor. Your choice of the three formats.
Had friend dealer who sold these. A few times I drove models to car shows in Scottsdale. They were crowd pleasurers for sure! But they rode like a hard tail Harley.
The nice thing about most replicas, is the fact that you get hands-on experience learning how to fabricate and toy around with different drivetrains ,weight distributions, interior and exterior customizations, have something unique and that you really get excited about, while being way more cost-effective and approachable than their counterpart or based on model.
The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on RUclips! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!
I work on these daily. I make a large portion of the parts they sell for these, if you have questions, hit me up, I see a lot that is "custom" but the proper 550 stock parts which are available are alot better.
I was waiting for the Wizard to talk about the configuration of the trans behind the engine. As others have mentioned a VW would have the trans in front of the engine.
Wow.She's a beauty.. I'd put a 'Catch can' on the oil breathing tube just to keep the vapors from staining anymore than it has.I'm sure Daniel-San will clean that off anyway.You looked like a kid playing in Dad's car,from the floor cam at the lift.LoL.
Very cool car. It definitely has a VW Type one engine with some add-on’s. To run it as a mid-engine, all you have to do is change the ring gear in the transaxle’s differential to the opposite side. Very easy modification.
I know of a few beetle drag cars that have done the mid engine changeover (which puts the standard engine where the rear seat usually is) and it drastically decreased their times
The myth has started a lot earliear with the Lohne Porscher but also with the big tanks from Tiger and King Tiger competition Porsche participated and the bigger ones. But this is a really nice and small one.
Type IV was 914s and '76 912 only. 65-69 912s had "dog house" shroud motors. This one looks like a type IV with an aftermarket Fat Performance shroud and fan that mimics the original four cam.
Great video. If the speedometer is in kilometers per hour, then the odometer might be in kilometers also. Making that 38,000 kilometers, not miles. Which would put the car at less than 25,000 miles. Either way, great little car! Thanks for the video, Car Wizard and Mrs. Wizard! Always look forward to your videos.
That based in a VW Bug the front torsion bars, transmission and wheels and brakes you can see it's from a big the engine seems to be too but with different valve covers. Nice car
When I was around 15 or 16 and not knowing much about cars, or anything else, I had heard stories of guys winding back the odometer with a drill. We had a few dead cars on the farm, so I gave it a try. If you try spinning them backwards (old analog meters) the numbers get out of alignment making it real easy to tell if it's been tampered with. They were designed to do that. So being a brilliant teenager the next step was to spin it forward until it zeros out and then run it out to whatever mileage you want. Keep in mind this is more than 35 years ago. I had an old drill plugged in the run the cable and I just left it going over night clamped in the vice. I remember checking it the next morning and it didn't even put a thousand miles on it and killed my old drill. That answered my curiosity about odometer fraud. There was no way in hell I would invest the time it would take to turn back the clock. But there are lots of people that will. Probably different methods. With lots of years experience as a mechanic there are always tell tale signs. If you feel the mileage is to good to be true, it probably is. Have a mechanic inspect a used car before you buy it. We can normally tell if your getting shafted.
I had a 1984 Cougar... You could open up the odometer/speedometer and change the mileage in two minutes. Pull back the plastic pawl, and rotate the wheels to set whatever mileage you wanted.
The people that tamper with odometers that are in the know do it very quickly and they actually adjust the numbers to their desired liking with no running it forwards or backwards
I like these. I've always wanted a kit car. Once I finish my garage and get my bendpak lift in next year, I may look into a beck and add my own motor in the form of an LNF or LSJ.
It’s a Bug type one transaxle flipped around for mid mounted engine. It’s super easy to convert, the ring gear and differential assembly are installed on the opposite side as a Beetle
@@Flies2FLL Not only is it easy to do, but a “flipped” ring gear setup is the factory drivetrain for the 1950-67 VW Bus. The transmission is still installed the same as a Beetle though. Only the Bus axle setup is different. Each axle is spinning backwards to drive another reduction gear box behind each rear wheel. This was done so VW could push heavy payloads in a Bus. If you were to put a VW trans in a car WITHOUT the Bus axle setup, you will have 4 reverse gears and 1 forward!
I hate to break it to you...that it is not a Beck. It was manufactured by Vintage Spyders. I can tell by the tube frame and coil over shocks for the rear suspension.
I like the simplicity of this car! The carburators and air intake filters look very dirty. The filters need to be replaced and the carburator needs a cleanup and checkup :)
Great cars. One of Beck’s guys drove me around the Bay Area in one when I was contemplating buying a kit in the late 1980s. If I recall, the price then was around $6,000.
This is the kind of replica I wouldn't mind. VW and Porsche are very connected since the begging, share a lot of DNA, and so a air-cooled VW engine is the engine to have when you can't have a Porsche engine. It is as close as you get without getting the real thing. I would rather have a 356 Pre A Roadster though, I'm a fan of those things.
The oil blows all over the place after it leaks from the valve cover gasket... and hits the airflow under the car... after being blasted downwards by the air being forced over the heads by the fan and shroud...... The only thing the owner wanted changed was the awkward access to the oil filler...to make it easier to add oil.....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq I can assure you that oil blows out of the filler hole if not sealed tightly. I just broke in a VW engine a few months ago I built and the crankcase pressure will spray it everywhere out of where Wizard was jiggling. I ran the engine with a rag over the filler with no cap to monitor the crankcase pressure. It also can spray from behind the crank pulley.
@@mikegreen2229 What did you do to plumb in a PCV system? (To have a negative pressure inside the engine when the cap was finally screwed on?) I built a fibreglass bodied 2 seater with a 1600cc VW and had no oil spray problems....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq Well, it’s a highly modified 1200 based engine with custom supercharger. I built a breather box with PCV system plumbed back into the intake tract like a modern car. Then, I just used a sealed oil cap. Also, the front crank pulley is “sand sealed” so dirty air will not be sucked into the vacuum
Looks just like a VW Type 1 engine to me, with Porsche valve covers that have been modified to fit the VW head. I believe the Porsche engines only had exhaust ports that exited from the bottom of the head, and since this has exhaust ports that point forward and back, it's a VW Type 1 engine.
i just commented on this in the background yesterday, i forget the name but europe/france has a company that does these replicas that are incredibly stunning and reliable (but expensive)
Just a thought. Since the speedo is kilometers the mileage may be in kilometers as well. That would put it around 23500 miles.
You are correct. The odometer reading will always be in the same scale that the speedometer is, so in this case, it is about 38,000 km, not miles.
I was going to say the same thing.
23940 miles, not that much of a drive through many years :)
@@Bratfalken For a no top tiny convertible it is.
@@bindingcurve yes, but how old was it, I missed that, but at least 9 years, spread those mileage over that time it isn't much.
Beck Spyders that were sold new 20 years ago are bringing over double their original price now.
Years ago I had a 914 and I installed duel webers just like his. Really gave the engine a little more pep for a 4 banger. This is really a cool car.
I praise the VW-Porsches!
Morning from SoCal. Thanks for all the great knowledge.
A Beck is probably number one on my wishlist
Check this weapon out.
Thank you Wizard and Mrs. Sharp-looking Beck Spyder, looks like a cross between a 356 and a Cobra. Thank heaven, not a long-term project can
A 2.5l Subaru boxer in one of these must be plenty fast enough. Even the Beatles' engine would be enough for what it's for. Wonder how much it weighs? Around 700kg s my guess and that's fully wet around 750 to 800 kg.
Sorry Tyler - but that is a PROPER Beck Spyder. That air-cooled exhaust note at 12:07 is reason enough!
When does Tyler ever do anything proper?
If Tyler's has a 2.5 Subaru engine in it. I'm betting it also has decent suspension & disc brakes....Sadly this 550 replica looks nice but is slow & poor handling. It has potential to be really nice if they switched to a modern suspension, decent steering system, disc brakes & put some power into the VW engine. Like maybe do a turbo or twin turbo E85 VW build. The E85 will help the air cooled engine run cooler. It doesn't have to be super fast. But with say 120+ hp 120+ torque, with the manual gearbox & turbo would make it very fun & engaging to drive. Instead of a 🐌 🐢 that looks fast. This car is for someone who just wants people to stare & think he's someone special.
Fortunately the wizard is wrong about availability. You can still order from Beck setup for a VW flat 4. You can get them setup for a Subaru or even electric motor. Your choice of the three formats.
Cool replicar!
Thanks for everything Wizard!
Keep ‘em on the road brother!
Great styling! Love the tire size and wheels. Jeeezz...If only modern sports cars looked so good.
I would open the frunk to put gas in as I know I would spill at least a few drops!
Absolutely. Like a 66 & before Beatle.
What a simple easy car to work on and so simple simplicity equals reliablity and it looks good also
Nice to see this little gem. Very classy classic car!
The rocker covers are twin/quad cam replicas (type 547) for the type 1 VW
Thanks , enjoyed the detail coverage!
I like this customer's collection! He has very good taste
We tested one years and years ago when I worked for Motor Trend magazine. Cool car.
Had friend dealer who sold these. A few times I drove models to car shows in Scottsdale. They were crowd pleasurers for sure! But they rode like a hard tail Harley.
It's a beetle, so I bet the ride was from 1936.
Most of the exotic cars shown on the Wizards videos aren’t particularly appealing to me, but these little replicas are awesome.
The nice thing about most replicas, is the fact that you get hands-on experience learning how to fabricate and toy around with different drivetrains ,weight distributions, interior and exterior customizations, have something unique and that you really get excited about, while being way more cost-effective and approachable than their counterpart or based on model.
The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on RUclips! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!
I work on these daily. I make a large portion of the parts they sell for these, if you have questions, hit me up, I see a lot that is "custom" but the proper 550 stock parts which are available are alot better.
I was waiting for the Wizard to talk about the configuration of the trans behind the engine. As others have mentioned a VW would have the trans in front of the engine.
The balance and handling on this one would be amazing because of that
No...
Standard bug trans with a rear shift kit from a mid engine sand rail. Nothing exotic.. Been done ,,,, and done.. :)
Wow.She's a beauty.. I'd put a 'Catch can' on the oil breathing tube just to keep the vapors from staining anymore than it has.I'm sure Daniel-San will clean that off anyway.You looked like a kid playing in Dad's car,from the floor cam at the lift.LoL.
Awesome little Car.....Thanks Mr Wizard.....Shoe🇺🇸
It’s not a Beck. The rear fender vents tell the easy story but there are many other differences, including frame, front valance. It is a Vintage.
Why do things half assed? If you're going to change the odometer, set it to the proper reading.
It's just like a beetle, the rims also. Cool.
356B rear drums
@@secoff1 Or swingaxle Beetle drums, their most popular configuration.
Another great video from the wizard. Thanks
Very cool car. It definitely has a VW Type one engine with some add-on’s. To run it as a mid-engine, all you have to do is change the ring gear in the transaxle’s differential to the opposite side. Very easy modification.
I know of a few beetle drag cars that have done the mid engine changeover (which puts the standard engine where the rear seat usually is) and it drastically decreased their times
The myth has started a lot earliear with the Lohne Porscher but also with the big tanks from Tiger and King Tiger competition Porsche participated and the bigger ones.
But this is a really nice and small one.
Look how busy that shop is.
Engine Case looked like a typical Type I, (beetle, Ghia). not 356, not Type IV (porsche 914, 912))
Type IV was 914s and '76 912 only. 65-69 912s had "dog house" shroud motors. This one looks like a type IV with an aftermarket Fat Performance shroud and fan that mimics the original four cam.
Do you think the transmission came from a 914?
@@Flies2FLL Been a while, but the cast webbing and tailpiece look like standard Type I VW to me. 914 tailpiece has a pretty beefy crossbar.
@@Flies2FLL looks like Bug trans that had differential flipped. Because shift rod is all the way at back (normally at front).
@@Flies2FLL Looks more like a drum brake, swing axle VW transaxle, which is Beck's standard transaxle.
If the speedo is in KM, the Odometer would be in KM as well, not miles (I think?)
Odometer 38,527 KM (not miles) = 23,940 MILES
I appreciate the dig at Tyler lol.
Sounds cool :) nice tiny revs 👍
Super cool! I'm with Danielson--I want it!
Great video. If the speedometer is in kilometers per hour, then the odometer might be in kilometers also. Making that 38,000 kilometers, not miles. Which would put the car at less than 25,000 miles. Either way, great little car! Thanks for the video, Car Wizard and Mrs. Wizard! Always look forward to your videos.
Odometer 38,527 KM (not miles) = 23,940 MILES
I know a lot about air cooled VWs, at least I think I do. I’m surprised the transaxle is a swingaxle and not IRS.
I think these sit so low wheel tuck would not be an issue
That based in a VW Bug the front torsion bars, transmission and wheels and brakes you can see it's from a big the engine seems to be too but with different valve covers. Nice car
Cool little ride
Not throwing shade on hoovies, but that's the set up I would want (especially with what can be done to VW's now)
Great car (I had a beck) # 038 built in Brazil
BTW that is NOT a Beck , it’s a vintage motor cars spyder from California
Came to say, The Vintage frame is a little different than the Beck. Smaller tubes, more of 'em. The coil-overs in back are a Vintage feature.
When I was around 15 or 16 and not knowing much about cars, or anything else, I had heard stories of guys winding back the odometer with a drill. We had a few dead cars on the farm, so I gave it a try. If you try spinning them backwards (old analog meters) the numbers get out of alignment making it real easy to tell if it's been tampered with. They were designed to do that. So being a brilliant teenager the next step was to spin it forward until it zeros out and then run it out to whatever mileage you want. Keep in mind this is more than 35 years ago. I had an old drill plugged in the run the cable and I just left it going over night clamped in the vice. I remember checking it the next morning and it didn't even put a thousand miles on it and killed my old drill. That answered my curiosity about odometer fraud. There was no way in hell I would invest the time it would take to turn back the clock. But there are lots of people that will. Probably different methods. With lots of years experience as a mechanic there are always tell tale signs. If you feel the mileage is to good to be true, it probably is. Have a mechanic inspect a used car before you buy it. We can normally tell if your getting shafted.
I had a 1984 Cougar... You could open up the odometer/speedometer and change the mileage in two minutes. Pull back the plastic pawl, and rotate the wheels to set whatever mileage you wanted.
The people that tamper with odometers that are in the know do it very quickly and they actually adjust the numbers to their desired liking with no running it forwards or backwards
Now hackers and programmers can change odometers
Sweet car I love reps u can actually drive them without crying about it loosing value
I like these. I've always wanted a kit car. Once I finish my garage and get my bendpak lift in next year, I may look into a beck and add my own motor in the form of an LNF or LSJ.
38k kilometers, not miles.
Odometers measure in the primary unit of the speedometer.
Mrs & Mr. Wizard , a really tight couple that are truly tied together everyday.
Hi David. Just to let to know how popular Mr. Wizard is, we are riding-out Hurricane Ian watching your shows.
Rumour has it that the Weeezard just bought a decommissioned submarine to add into the Weezard Navy. Is this true Mr Weezard ???
What a lovely car !
I hear a cam... Betting a 1776 with a 110 cam and dual IDF 40's.
I wonder where the transmission came from. I suspect a Porsche 914.
Great video!
It’s a Bug type one transaxle flipped around for mid mounted engine. It’s super easy to convert, the ring gear and differential assembly are installed on the opposite side as a Beetle
@@mikegreen2229 Fascinating! I didn't know that's all it took to convert it.
@@Flies2FLL Not only is it easy to do, but a “flipped” ring gear setup is the factory drivetrain for the 1950-67 VW Bus. The transmission is still installed the same as a Beetle though. Only the Bus axle setup is different. Each axle is spinning backwards to drive another reduction gear box behind each rear wheel. This was done so VW could push heavy payloads in a Bus. If you were to put a VW trans in a car WITHOUT the Bus axle setup, you will have 4 reverse gears and 1 forward!
@@mikegreen2229 That's right, I've seen the reduction gears on the "transporter" vans. That's probably why they did this. Thanx!
I hate to break it to you...that it is not a Beck. It was manufactured by Vintage Spyders. I can tell by the tube frame and coil over shocks for the rear suspension.
@4:28 Yeah, but what if the weather suddenly changes and you need to make it home unscathed?
Wanted one for many years. ❤
The speedometer appears to be from a 1966-1967 Porsche 911. Hollywood Speedometer in California can repair it.
Beck lives around the corner from me and the owner of my company has one of his GT cars.
I like the simplicity of this car! The carburators and air intake filters look very dirty. The filters need to be replaced and the carburator needs a cleanup and checkup :)
This looks so incredibly fun to drive
Looks like a FAT Performance fan and shroud, carb and linkage kit
Great car. Terrific video. Just wish there was more info on engine and performance.
And weight.
@@alexcallas8222 Bingo! This video could have been more comprehensive. Would love to know if that is really a Porsche Engine or a built VW!!
@Ken Fidler that doesn't say much. But thanks. LoL
@@alexcallas8222 yeah weight would be interesting, im guessing around 600 to 750 wet kg
Legend has it: The Car Wizard has a diary and it's called The Guinness Book of World Records.
Any updates on the big red Dodge V10 for the shop? Thanks WIzard!
Great cars. One of Beck’s guys drove me around the Bay Area in one when I was contemplating buying a kit in the late 1980s. If I recall, the price then was around $6,000.
Leakage might be the standard push rod tubes. The aftermarket spring loaded ones are way better.
It is easy to see what inspired the CGT.
Watching Wizard's videos is more relaxing than listening to a Morgan Freeman audio book.
What do see about the repair history/ reliability of the 2010-2017 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain?
Let’s go ahead and comment. 😊 Love this channel!
I bet you it sounds amazing!
This is the kind of replica I wouldn't mind. VW and Porsche are very connected since the begging, share a lot of DNA, and so a air-cooled VW engine is the engine to have when you can't have a Porsche engine. It is as close as you get without getting the real thing.
I would rather have a 356 Pre A Roadster though, I'm a fan of those things.
Throw the cheap oil filler away and install a NICE breather system. That will eliminate the oil blowing all over the place.
The oil blows all over the place after it leaks from the valve cover gasket...
and hits the airflow under the car...
after being blasted downwards by the air being forced over the heads by the fan and shroud......
The only thing the owner wanted changed was the awkward access to the oil filler...to make it easier to add oil.....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq I can assure you that oil blows out of the filler hole if not sealed tightly. I just broke in a VW engine a few months ago I built and the crankcase pressure will spray it everywhere out of where Wizard was jiggling. I ran the engine with a rag over the filler with no cap to monitor the crankcase pressure. It also can spray from behind the crank pulley.
@@mikegreen2229
What did you do to plumb in a PCV system? (To have a negative pressure inside the engine when the cap was finally screwed on?)
I built a fibreglass bodied 2 seater with a 1600cc VW and had no oil spray problems....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq Well, it’s a highly modified 1200 based engine with custom supercharger. I built a breather box with PCV system plumbed back into the intake tract like a modern car. Then, I just used a sealed oil cap. Also, the front crank pulley is “sand sealed” so dirty air will not be sucked into the vacuum
Cool little car
The Beck sounds like a V Twin
Tyler should do a photoshoot of this beck with his one. Wouldn’t be many others around for the opportunity
06:20 That is technically called the Jesus Bar. As in, when you’re going around a corner sideways, the passenger can grab it while screaming “JESUS!”
Looks just like a VW Type 1 engine to me, with Porsche valve covers that have been modified to fit the VW head. I believe the Porsche engines only had exhaust ports that exited from the bottom of the head, and since this has exhaust ports that point forward and back, it's a VW Type 1 engine.
I didn’t see the lower cylinder tins that are placed from the jugs and between the pushrod tubes
That fuel tank is remarkably similar to a pre-67 VW Beetle's.
Also, Beck is the guy that built the Shoguns
Seriously nice car, sounds a little more like a hotrod compared to Hoovies.
When you're faced with one of a pair that has failed, like the valve cover gasket, is it standard of care to do both?
i just commented on this in the background yesterday, i forget the name but europe/france has a company that does these replicas that are incredibly stunning and reliable (but expensive)
The Ultimate Road Go Kart . No radio because the engine sound is your entertainment.
Look for "041" in the last places on the serial stamped in the heads. that may just be a 912 engine...
I was trying to read what was stamped on the passenger side head,and the was an 'O' or 0.Thanks for the info.
Beautiful, fun car.
We want more Mrs. Wizzard in the videos! :-) Nice little car anyways.
The most common beetle engines are 1.2, 1.3 or 1.6.
You can probably fix those engines with some shoelaces and a pencil sharpener.
It might even be a porsche 914 engine.
It is most definitely a large bore/stroke 1600 based engine. Dual port heads are Type 1 style. My guess is 2276cc by the sound
@@mikegreen2229 the bettle 1.6 has that sound with the right exhaust, doesn't have power but makes good noises, and also very reliable.
@@darkiee69 Its not.
Love it❤️🇬🇧🏴
Lovely little car …….! 😊
How about a follow up on this gem?
Cool go kart!
Cool kit car I thought you weren't going to work on Old vehicles anymore... But yeah I get it this one's easy... 😁
38,000 kilometers. 23,600 approx miles.
It must be nice to pick and choose what car you work on I suspect most garages can't afford to turn down what rolles in
That’s BAAAD TO DA BONE, 😊
The front axle might need to be greased. It looked very dry. Like your style of video😅
It's adorable. 😍
Being so small and light that little VW engine will make it go like stink. The way a car should be.
The engine could as well be a Porsche, either from 912 or a 914/4. A 914 gearbox would be ideal here with the engine the wrong way round for a Beatle.
914/912/VW bus engine all the same.. The 914/912 transmissions are ridiculously expensive and much harder to get parts for.