This Chopped Up Beetle Tricycle With A Ford Focus Face Will Cost You $7,500

The coachbuilding business is booming but only a few people can afford to buy limited production or one-off vehicles. Thus, on the other end of the spectrum, those with the necessary skills are creating Frankenstein automobiles combining pieces of different production models for a unique result. A fitting example is a chopped-up VW Beetle with three wheels and a Ford Focus face that is currently listed for sale on Facebook marketplace for $7,500.

According to the description, the bespoke tricycle was built in 2019 using a diesel-powered 2003 VW Beetle as a donor vehicle. It seems that the builder is a fan of the Polaris Slingshot thus cutting off the rear end and replacing the rear axle with a single wheel mounted on a tubular frame. The rear part of the body is sourced from a pickup, with a truck-style exhaust mounted upright.

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Moving over to the profile, the only things that are reminiscent of the Beetle are the mirrors, door handles, the angle of the front windshield, and the VW emblem on the duo-tone five-spoke wheels; everything else is extensively modified. The doors are cut and painted black, while the custom roof has T-Top panels shedding more light into the two-seater cabin.

Speaking of which, the interior remains mostly unchanged besides the “in-your-face” bone-decorated steering wheel rim and gearknob. Other changes include the orange upholstery on the leather seats and door cards matching the exterior, and the wood coating on the center tunnel.

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And that leads us to the front end which comes from a Ford Focus MK3 facelift, including the headlights, the front bumper, the bonnet, and the front fenders which have custom-made extensions in order to visually connect with the profile. The bonnet shut lines are gone signifying that the whole front clip is a clamshell, opening upwards together with the bumper. The build has many rough spots including the front wheelarches that are misaligned with the wheels but that is what you get when you merge parts from two completely different vehicles.

Under the bonnet lies the stock 1.9-liter TDI four-cylinder turbodiesel engine which produced 100 hp (74 kW / 101 PS) and 240 Nm (177 lb-ft) of torque back in the early ’00s before being discontinued due to emission regulartions. The engine has been overhauled before the build, with the owner replacing the water pump, thermostat, timing belt, and hoses. Since the transformation, the vehicle has traveled 10,000 miles (16,093 km) although the actual mileage in its prior life as a Beetle is unknown.

The “Focused Beetle” is described as a Spring, Summer, and Fall vehicle that is very economical and reliable due to the diesel engine. According to the seller it drives on the highway at 75-80 mph (121-128 km/h) with no problem and comes equipped with cruise control, although the lack of windows must be an issue at high speed.

According to the listing, the vehicle is located in Blythewood, South Carolina (US), and is still available for anyone that is willing to sacrifice $7.5k to be driving around in a bespoke ride. Despite the amount of work and imagination put into the transformation of this VW, the price sounds too high for a chopped-up 20-year-old Beetle. Having said that, the seller is open to reasonable offers, so how much would you pay for it?