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HEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-Muscle

The Volkswagen Beetle seems like a relatively forgotten car, a footnote to the automotive industry. But the shape is so original and iconic that many people still do extreme and expensive mods, like Brandin Greenwell, who got a HEMI engine to fit under the hood.
The HEMI Bug: VW Beetle Rocks 5.7-Liter Front-Mounted V8 10 photos
Photo: ALifeWithCars/YouTube screenshot
HEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-MuscleHEMI-Powered VW Beetle Rocks Front-Mounted V8, Is All-Muscle
Several things made the original Beetle unique, and they all play for and against this conversion. First of all, the Bug is known for being easy to work with, resulting in many first-timer mechanics learning the trade here. It's also common and cheap.

Then comes the construction part, as the German bug differs from the muscular American cars it went up against in the 60s and 70s. Its chassis is kind of like a proto-unibody, while the engine is tiny, air-cooled, and sitting over the back.

Because of the layout, we've always believed that the most awesome engine swap for a Beetle is either from a Porsche 911 or a Subaru WRX/STI. However, The "HEMI Bug" rocks that notion to the core.

Everybody knows how muscle car owners joked about the Beetle, criticizing its size and cute demeanor. So, it's kind of amazing that this Frankenstein machine even exists.

The neck-snapping head-turner needs a custom chassis to handle all this power in the unfamiliar Beetle format. A 5.7-liter V8 makes a dramatic exit through the hood, where a normal Bug would have its trunk and spare tire. The cool headers and air intake let you know it means business.

And no, you're not mistaken, the color is Audi's famous Nardo Gray. It seems more and more builders adopt this unique shade. The custom double-wishbone suspension in green pops out, also reminding you that the VW doesn't have fenders, not that anything could have covered up those massive tires.

Seeing the owner next to the car, you also realize that it has a radical roof chop that kind of makes it difficult to get into. And for something so powerful, this is still a tiny car.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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