This Stretched Beetle-Based MG Replica Is The Weirdest Limo I’ve Seen In Ages

The world of custom cars is enormous. From candy-painted donks to primered-out hot rods to Shakotan Soarers and Cedrics, there really is something for everyone. For instance, I have a soft spot for little freaks. Cars that are unapologetically strange, ridiculously niche, yet strangely captivating. This is a Volkswagen Beetle-based MG TD replica limousine, a combination of words never intended to exist in that order, and it’s up for sale on Craigslist.

As strange as it sounds, Volkswagen Beetle-based MG TD-look kit cars have been a thing for donkey’s years. Why? Great question. It’s not like MG TDs are wildly expensive, nor are they hugely rare in America. Then again, considering the real thing ran from zero-to-60 mph in 22.7 seconds in Popular Mechanics testing, a later Beetle might actually be an upgrade in performance. Either way, British-looking machines with a flat-four clatter emanating from under their deck lids isn’t unprecedented, but this one’s far stranger than most.

For one, it’s been stretched into a four-seater the long way. We’re talking an extra set of rear doors, a full-on bulkhead behind the front seats, and a roll bar that probably won’t protect second-row occupants in the event a driver learns about swing axle suspension geometry the hard way. [Editor’s Note: If this is based on a ’69 or later Beetle, it’s not a swing axle under there, it’s got the double-jointed IRS transaxle. Just sayin’. – JT] This stretch has the effect of making the wheelbase seem about eight miles long. I mean, just look at the distance between the front and rear axles. It’s awe-inspiring.

What’s more, whoever did the stretch made the body actually largely work. The rear doors seem to fit more-or-less the same as the front ones, the width of the body doesn’t look wavy, and even the plunging belt line has been doubled up without looking especially haphazard. Sure, that tonneau is incredibly strange, but it matches the rest of the car. If you see this thing going down the road, it doesn’t matter if you’re into cars or not, you’ll want to take a look at this contraption. Plus, whip that ill-fitting toupee off and you’ll find that the back seat really is where magic happens.

It goes without saying that sports cars of the ’40s and facsimiles thereof are relatively crude by modern standards. We’re generally talking bodies built like travelling carnival rides, seemingly designed to give passengers a sense of how a 70 MPH teacup ride would feel. Despite this, whoever built this creation managed to stuff a whole lot of amenities into a rather tiny bulkhead. There’s an ice chest, racking for champagne flutes, and even a television. Okay, so the screen is sized like it came straight out of Pimp My Ride, but it’s had not to be at least a little impressed by the execution here.

The more I look at this unusual kit car, the more I wonder who’s going to buy it. Surely, the market for a four-door, four-seat, Beetle-based, English-looking convertible with a minibar is small, especially with no price disclosed. It’s not the most capacious limousine, or the most sporting roadster, or the most practical thing in bad weather, and I don’t see any air-con vents. However, it is one of the strangest cars I’ve seen on Craigslist in ages, and there’s something cool about that.

Top graphic image: Craigslist seller