VW Aquila: Have $17,000 To Spare For An Exotic Looking Beetle?

If you’ve never heard of the VW Aquila, we totally understand. It wasn’t a production model, but a kit car that took plain old VW Beetles and turned them into BMW M1-like exotics with gull-wing doors.

Looking at its eBay ad, we can see that this is car (or kit) number 137 out of 150, with a bright cream exterior, brighter wire wheel covers and a well-conditioned interior with name-embroidered carpeting and low-slung leatherette bucket seats. This is not the type of ride you drive to blend in, that’s for sure.

Other features include the sports steering wheel, overhead console, SpaceKom Autocomp 7000A fuel efficiency computer and the full Stewart Warner gauge package, mounted in a burled walnut-style dashboard.

While the car looks…the way it looks on the outside, underneath you’ll find a 1.200cc VW Beetle power unit and a four-speed manual transmission. This adds up to easy maintenance work, according to the seller.

In the end, while the Aquila may be registered as a 1963 Beetle, its future owner should find that it looks, feels and sounds nothing like the Bug. In fact, it even has a custom exhaust to give it a throatier soundtrack – something you’d expect from a car that looks this sporty. Oh and yes, it’s also rear-wheel drive, which is what most driving enthusiasts like to hear.