SPOTLIGHT: Radikalbugz 'Brown Sugar' 1957 Oval Beetle

Brown isn’t usually a color that catches the eye, but this Porsche Sepia Brown ’57 oval is difficult to miss – every detail is immaculately presented with a theme that runs consistently throughout.

This is how you build a show car.

Of course the RadikalBugZ gang in Belgium are no strangers to building show winning VWs, but this one is absolutely exceptional. We found it while browsing the Edition38 show ground and it caught us totally by surprise.

Hiding beneath the perfect oval bodywork is a completely restored floorpan and potent 2109cc power plant.

The car was displayed with the wheels off on one side allowing show goers to check out the attention to detail under the skin.

A large part of the custom work has gone toward addressing the stance. If you’ve seen a stock VW Beetle, you’ll know that the sky high, balloon-tire look is, well, not exactly what we are looking for, to say the least.

The car sits on a custom Air Lift Performance setup and Porsche Fuchs wheels, dropping the Porsche frame down to the the rest of the vehicle.

Air Lift Performance’s 3P air management system brings this ’50s Bug into the 21st century with iPhone app control. The pin-striping on the tank is a cool touch and can be seen through the distinctive oval rear window.

The Porsche Fuchs wheels are a design classic and have been polished to match the bright work on the rest of the car.

We weren’t joking when we said it was a comprehensive build, check how the black/polished wheel theme has been echoed into the interior in the steering wheel and instruments.

This is a car we could look at for hours and still find new details. It’s incredible to think that this car would have left the production over 60 years ago. Just imagine what the original owner would say about it now if they were around to see it now!