Steamfunkin’ – ’50 Split Window

At this year's VolksWorld Show everyone took a second look at this Split, mainly because at first glance most thought it was a cool rat look Split Beetle. If you stood watching people you could see the moment something else would grab their eye; it was as though the car demanded a second look. Make no mistake, this is one radical custom Volkswagen.
By not following the usual styles, the owners Colin and Glenn Williams have created a unique car, which has an air of Steampunk about it. If, like many of my friends you've never heard of Steampunk, it's down to me do enlighten you! Steampunk is a combination of science fiction and fantasy, using the Victorian era, when steam power was at its peak, in combination with more futuristic ideas of the mind. Think of machines such as The Nautilus and Will Smith in Wild Wild West and you should get more of an idea of what Steampunk is about.
The Williams brothers have graced these pages before, back in September 1995 with their custom pseudo Oval Beetle, another car loaded with neat tricks. The starting point for this project was a collection of vintage VW parts left over when their late father Stanley Williams scrapped numerous VWs in the 1970s. Another contributing factor came in the form of an ad for a 1950 Split Beetle. They knew the chance to buy a '50 doesn't come up that often, even though this was an unfinished project!
The Beetle had been sold new in Sweden in 1950, changed hands in 1962, was put into a barn a few years later and forgotten about until 2007, when it was offered for sale on thesamba.com. The Split was then shipped via the UK to Ireland, where a restoration was started before the owner decided to hit the sunnier climes of Australia. That's when the Williams boys stepped in.
By the time Glenn and Colin picked up the Beetle, its OG engine, interior, transmission, front beam, gauges and bumpers had already been sold off. Unfazed, they pressed on with their plan, mainly influenced by hotrods and 1940's American customs.

For the full story on this car make sure you pick up a copy of the Summer 2010 issue of VolksWorld

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