For years, BMW fans have been wondering if the Bavarians would ever make a pickup truck. After BMW teased an E92 M3 ute as an April Fools joke, and then revealed that other utes were made as delivery vehicles for BMW plants, fans have wondered what it’d be like if BMW actually built one. While BMW might eventually make a pickup truck, one UK-based enthusiasts decided to make out. With a Volkswagen New Beetle…
Joe from Joe’s Fab Life had a bit of a dilemma on his hands, which led to an interesting opportunity. He owned two cars: an E46 3 Series Touring and a Volkswagen New Beetle. He crashed the E46, which wrecked the body and front suspension. Then, while driving his wife’s New Beetle, he cooked the engine due to a bad thermostat. So he had a chassis and powertrain from an E46 and a body from a New Beetle. You can see where I’m going with this.
Obviously, he decided to merge the two things, putting the Volkswagen body on the E46 chassis. He also always wanted to make a New Beetle pickup truck but the car’s stock wheelbase was too short. Thankfully, the E46 Touring wheelbase was long enough, so he did it.
The build is hilarious built also pretty impressive. He cut the back end of the New Beetle off at the B-pillar, put the front end on the E46 chassis, completely custom-fabricated a pickup bed, gave it Ford F-150 taillights, flared the fenders, gave it a first-gen Porsche Cayenne front bumper, rear air suspension, front coilover suspension, and somehow made it all work. It’s absolutely fantastically absurd and looks like an absolute riot to drive. According to Joe, it feels just like an E46 3 Series, since it mostly is one, and he uses it as his daily driver. Not only does he daily drive it, he uses it as a pickup truck, hauling steel and supplies in the back.
There is one thing that gives me pause and it’s how far back the engine is in the engine bay. That engine better be completely rebuilt because any work that needs done will be an absolutely nightmare. Thinking of the disassembly required to even change the spark plugs makes me shudder. Aside from that, though, it looks like an awesome build. I wouldn’t want such a thing myself but I’m so happy it exists.
[Source: Motor1]