It was nearly 50 years ago that the first Volkswagen washed onto the shores of America. Although it took a while for the funky, fat-fendered compact to catch on, it did. It was dubbed (Pun intended.—MAX) the “Beetle” and became a cultural icon akin to the peace sign.
Thus, nostalgia was lurking when Volkswagen produced a concept vehicle a few years back bearing a canny resemblance to the Beetle of old.
Response to this concept car was overwhelming, and the folks at Volks’ soon put the New Beetle into production. Getting the jump on the frenzy surrounding VW’s latest Beetle, Bill Wood of Loudonville, New York, pulled some strings to snag the first New Beetle received by Cooley Mazda/VW, the dealer where he works at while attending school. Once he had the ride, Bill’s friend Mark Pettograsso at East Coast Audio Concepts goaded him into an attempt at making the Volkswagen a rolling audio showpiece (Peer pressure will get you everywhere these days.—MAX). The rest was automotive history.
Providing the foundation for the system is a Nakamichi CD-700 head unit, which blends almost seamlessly into the dash of the car. Putting together the front stage required a pair of JL Audio Evolution XR 6½-inch mid-bass/mid-range drivers to be mounted in each door. Mark backed these drivers with a Cascade Audio Engineering Deflex pad and used Cascade’s V-Block sheeted sound-deadening material to control resonance. JL Evolution VR-650 tweeters were also mounted in the factory door locations and carefully aimed for improved imaging.
The Beetle’s mammoth dash area created the need for a center channel, which according to Mark, was one of the most complex designs and installations of the entire system. Due to the distance from the dash to the windshield, there was a void in the sound stage. Mark wanted to create a center fill that would sound good and visually keep with the integrity of the vehicle. Grabbing his trusty handsaw, Mark bored a hole in the center vent area of the dash to create a home for the JL Audio 5¼-inch mid-range speaker, along with a pair of JL Audio tweeters. An enclosure was constructed from fiberglass and PVC for the centrally mounted woofer before a Dynaudio Variovent was installed. The ¾-inch MDF baffle was then painted to match the interior and a custom grille fabricated to cover everything.
The crossover used for the front speaker staging is a fully handcrafted affair constructed by fellow East Coast Audio Concepts employee “Madd” Matt Hyde. Using his background in home theater, Matt combined top-notch componentry to create a passive crossover system featuring Kimber Kaps and Teflon Dielectric wire, WBT Silver Solder, and Solen Hepalitz inductors and non- inductive metal oxide resistors. The rear speaker enclosure is home to a trio of JL Audio 8W6 chrome subs. The custom-fabricated enclosure was built out of ¾-inch MDF, covered inside with fiberglass, and has a 1½-inch-thick internal baffle. The top of the box features a 1-inch Lexan panel that allows easy viewing in blue neon lighting. Best of all, the whole thing can be lifted out to access the Beetle’s factory spare tire.
For some serious amplification, Mark contacted the power gods at Zapco, who put some true Fahrvergnugen into this “people’s car” by installing one of the company’s Z-400 C4 SL amplifiers. The Z-400 was powdercoated to match the silver exterior of the car, then “tweaked” to maximum performance by Scott Schmidt and the crew at Zapco.
The amp rack itself is a small marvel of engineering, with hundreds of hours of sweat and labor going into its construction. Mark wanted the amp to sit at a 20-degree angle in a display with all rounded edges “flowing” with the rest of the interior. By using plenty of 1/8-inch dowels, some more MDF, fiberboard, fiberglass, and Bondo, the rack came out looking like it was installed at the Volkswagen plant. The amp sits atop a piece of carbon fiber to match the pieces used throughout the interior of the car. Mark also used two of Zapco’s trick EQ-30SLII SymbiLink-enhanced equalizer units. The SymbiLink technology works to keep all of the signals clean and interference free throughout their travels in the vehicle. The equalizers were mounted on the bottom side of the cargo cover in the Beetle’s trunk and feature a clear Lexan top.
There isn’t much room in the VW’s glove compartment for garage door openers or even a ballpoint pen because Mark dropped a couple more Zapco components inside. To the left is a PSI-SI, which supplies power to the duo of equalizers. On the right lies an SLB-RT, which is a SymbiLink trans- mitter for the amplifier. A carbon fiber panel is used to hold the units in place. Speaking of carbon fiber, Trim Masters supplied Bill with the first carbon fiber New Beetle dash kit fresh off of the production line, which adds a trick look to the entire cockpit.
As an accomplished kart racer and MAX Power reader, you would expect Bill’s VW to feature some sort of performance and handling modifications to keep pace with the audio gear. Well, it does.Wood talked to the folks at Radius and snagged a set of its ultra-trick S-4 alloy wheels, shod in 19-inch Pirelli P-7000 rubber. To tighten up the suspension, a set of APEX coilovers replaced the factory strut and spring equipment. Bill also installed ABD Racing sway bars and supports, along with an ABD intake, SuperSprint exhaust, and a reprogrammed ECU for added acceleration. For sleeker looks Wings West and Classic’s by Bernt combined efforts for an aggressive body styling package, while seating comes in the form of buckets from Cobra.
Yes kids, the Beetle is back and here to stay. As a testament, Bill’s Vee-Dub has picked up several First Place finishes and a few Best of Show honors, not to mention quite a few phone numbers from the honey babies along the way. Way to go, Billy boy. Keep rocking and knocking ’em dead!