Baja Bug

Description
The Baja Bug is a Hot Wheels casting based on the Volkswagen Beetle and designed by Larry Wood. The tool debuted in the 1984 Real Riders Series.

Why "Baja"? Well, the Baja California Peninsula in northwest Mexico is home to the Mexican 1000 off-road race. Baja Bugs were developed in the late 1960s as a home-made alternative to the fiberglass-bodied Meyers Manx beach buggies that excelled in the sandy, hilly terrain. To make a Baja Bug, you take a stock VW Beetle, chop the front and back at an angle, add fill-in panels, trim the fenders, soup up the (now-exposed) engine and put on a set of balloon tires. I'm not sure whether Herbie would approve...

This tool has also gone by the name Baja Beetle and Volkswagen Baja Bug.

Versions
The Baja Bug has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions: