Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers - Hardcover

Stephen Szantai

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760331626 ISBN 13: 9780760331620

Publisher: Motorbooks International, 2007

Synopsis

This book provides a fascinating overview of customized Bugs. It shows us the scene from which the Demon Bug emerged, and then focuses on specific styles, from mild to wild: cruisers, dragsters, sleepers, monsters all captured by Szantai s unmatched phootgraphy. Everyone recognises a VW Beetle, and can immediately tell if it has been altered, making these legendary cars ideal for altering. Painted, re-eqipped, modified, these harmless cars are suddenly transformed to become the dreams of a generation! VW Beetles customized all in stunning full-colour photography Complete with full details on the car s how and why they were built, including working progress Hot Rod beetles, California bodywork, racers, dune buggies Ideal for VW and customizing enthusiasts

About this title

Review:

This new book , by author Stephan Szantai, covers the VW scene like no other, form mild to wild including cruisers and dragsters, sleepers and monsters. Demon Bugs is one hundred and forty-four pages of some of the best VW photography you may ever see. Three hundred and thirty colour photogparhs illustrate the book. Stephan has arranged his chapters to cordinate with the different aspects of the VW street scene using photogrphs he has taken over the lst twenty years of covering said scene. From Rat Rods and Sleepres to Cal Lookers and Autobahn cruisers, Stephan has covered the gaumet of the street scene, spotlighting some of the finest in the hobbt form all over the world...And don't let the title fool you, there are Ghia's and Type3s and yes Transporters too! This is one book I'll keep on the coffee table for a while yet. --Hot VW Magazine

Starting with an introduction about the aftermarket for new and used products, the book quickly moves on to focus on owner's cars and colour photographs to tell the stories, rather than too many words. Well they do say a picture paints a thousand words... Whether it's a custom paint job, fancy wheels or adapted bodywork, the author has photographed from the mild to wild, revealing just how far the VW imagination can be stretched...Ideal for those of you looking for ideas to mod your car in the future --Classic Car Weekly

Looking for ways to really stand out from the crowd in your Volkswagen? Fancy adding a few modifications here and there? Customising Beetles and Campers has been a way of life for many owners since the Fifties, and for those who do like to personalise their air-cooled steeds, Demon Bugs - VW Customs and Cruisers is an eye-opener of a book. Unsurprisingly, American author Stephan Szantai has featured the majority of his custom bugs form across the Atlantic, but there are a few European ones, including a 1952 Beetle Sedan for good old Blighty. --Classic Car Monthly

For years, VW Bugs were simply cheap transportation: fuel efficient, easy to work on, a boon to young families and college students. Then something about the quirky little car caught the imagination of a generation, and the low-cost, utilitarian Bug was suddenly sporting a custom paint job and fancy wheels--and tricked-out engines. This book provides a fantastic overview of customized Bugs. It shows the scene from which the demon bug emerged, and focuses on specific styles, from the mild to the wild. Cruisers and dragsters, sleepers and monsters--all are captured by Stephan Szantai's unmatched photography. Accompanying these remarkable pictures is the how and why of each cars build. Painted, re-equipped, modified to taste, these are the Bugs of a generations dreams, a most humble vehicle suddenly and magnificently transformed Demon Bugs by Stephan Szantai is a great book that will appeal all the aircooled loving petrols heads out there. It consists of 11 chapters each dedicated to a particular genre of customisation of the much beloved Volkswagen Beetle and Camper. Each chapter has just the right ratio of pictures to text - the pictures are plentiful and the text is short and concise which just the right information. The first chapter deals wih how the scene developed from the 1960's to the present day. It is intersting to see many of the cars that adorned the pages of magazines like Rod & Custom and eventually, in 1975, Hot VWs - its a real blast from the past! The next 10 chapters deal with each genre in turn from the Resto Customs with their subtle detailing and period parts through to the Monster Power bugs that are used for drag racing. Some of the monster power 'dubs are capable of over 300 BHP and running low 10 and high 9 second ETs on the drag strip. The final chapter features a few select vehicles that have gone the extra mile where the attention to detail is phenominal and would probably be overlooked by most people. An example is in Darrell Baker's 1958 Sunroof Beetle where the ribbing in the firewall follows the contour of the fan-housing. --Just Customz, July, 2009

MOST PEOPLE OF A CERTAIN AGE HAVE A BEETLE TALE. Mine is that in the early 'Eighties I reluctantly drove one a short distance for a friend. I say reluctantly, because it was to be dismantled to provide parts for a kit car and because I have always been rather fond of Beetles, it seemed to be something of a sacrilege. In Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers, author Stephan Szantai talks of his love for cars and fond memories of "bouncing around" in the back of his aunt Gisela's 1971 Beetle. And in his Foreword Dean Kirsten, the Technical Director of Hot VWs Magazine, recalls cruising the streets in Orange County in a '62 ragtop Bug with his older brother in 1968. In their time, VW Bugs were cheap transportation. They were fuel efficient, easy to work on and a blessing to both young families and college students. It wasn't long before this quirky little car caught the imagination of a generation and the low-cost, utilitarian Bug was to be found sporting a custom paint job, fancy wheels and tricked- out engines. Bugs bore testament to their owners' creativity. With the Flower Power era, the car became 'hip' and together with the VW Camper Vans a symbol of those times. Although some were painted in wild and vivid colours with flowers adorning the paintwork, others were owned by purists passionate about keeping their cars and vans original. In eleven chapters, Stephan explores strange conversions and different incarnations of the VW Bug. The fascinating colour photographs speak for themselves: there are profiles of Bugs from all over the world, with details of their owners and a potted history of the vehicles. Take, for instance, the 1951 Sunroof Beetle a split-window bug owned by Corinne and Bruno Lascabannes in France. It still features its vintage characteristics, accurate for 1951, but the engine is now supported by an assortment of high-performance products. Demon Bugs: VW Customs and Cruisers book provides a fantastic overview of customized Bugs and shows the scene from which the demon bug emerged. Focusing on specific styles 'from the mild to the wild' all manner of vehicles are documented. Matt Becker from the United States won his 1965 Beetle Sedan in a charity raffle, after it was built to take on a Honda CRX by VW enthus-iast John Hunt who dreamed up this flaming red '10-second Beetle' which featured in a drag race on a programme called Pinks. Cruisers and dragsters, sleepers and monsters, they are all captured by Stephan Szantai's photography. Under the chapter entitled 'Make It Different' you'll find a Manx-Style Dune Buggy, a 1969 Type 3 Convert-ible Fastback and a whacky 1973 Thing! Accompanying these remark-able pictures is the how and why of each car's build. These are the Bugs of a generation's dreams; a most humble vehicle suddenly and magnificently transformed. --Motorbar dot com, June, 2008

From the Back Cover:

For years, VW Bugs were simply cheap transportation. Designed to be fuel efficient and easy to work on, they were a blessing to young people and anyone looking to save a dime. But beginning the 1960s, Bugs became the basis for creative owners looking to express themselves. Suddenly VWs were sporting trick paint jobs, fancy wheels, and modified engines.

An aftermarket dedicated to air-cooled VWs sprang up, and whatever you wanted to help your Bug go faster and look cooler was just a catalog and a few bucks away.

In the twenty-first century, custom VWs are as popular as ever. Demon Bugs features 50 of today’s best modified, air-cooled VWs. From Cal Look to German Look, Type IIs to Volksrods, author and VW enthusiast Stephan Szantai details the history and the evolution of the VW Bug, along with other air-cooled VW models.

About this edition

• Publisher: Motorbooks International
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0760331626
• ISBN 13: 9780760331620
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144