VW New Beetle Truck Conversion Kit Is Already A Best-Seller

You may recall seeing this strange creation on Motor1.com a couple of months ago. We spoke to Mark Smith at Smyth Performance back in March when photos of an in-progress ute build for a new VW Beetle cropped up on the company's social media channels. Now the project is complete and what can we say? It looks adorably epic from all sides, and we'd bet a gazillion dollars it would get just as much attention at Cars & Coffee as far more expensive builds. More on that in a minute.

Smyth Performance announced the completion of its latest project last week, and according to Mark Smith in a YouTube video tour posted above, it's already the company's best-selling kit. Roughly 100 Beetle conversions are already sold, and this isn't a bank-busting proposition by any means. The first 100 are available for a pre-order price of $2,990, and while we don't have pricing for later kits, it shouldn't jump up by much. The most expensive pickup conversion kit on the Smyth Performance website is the 2005-2010 Dodge Charger (yes, you can have a freaking Hemi Charger Ute if you want) for $3,590.

For that price, you get everything necessary to build the Bug truck you've always dreamed of. The bed and its reinforcing structures are made from aluminum, as is the functional tailgate. The fabulously curvy fenders are fiberglass, as is the skin for the tailgate. A custom cap with an integrated rear window fills in space behind the front seats, and while some cutting on the host vehicle is certainly required, a good portion of the rear clip simply unbolts.

It's important to note that the price doesn't include the cost of the car, or the expense of installation. Even then, creating an extremely custom VeeDub won't break the bank because 1998-2007 New Beetles on which the kit installs are presently quite inexpensive. The project car featured in the video is a turbo model that was bought for just $1,500, and though Smyth Performance doesn't offer installation services, the company helps buyers or body shops with the install through video tutorials online. All said and done, such a project should fall well under $10,000 even with prolific professional help. Do it all yourself, and it could be considerably less.

The New Beetle conversion joins several other pickup kits offered by Smyth Performance and is available for order now.