The Frankensteiners Car Club brought Heather Rende’s grandma-fresh ’74 Super Beetle to life with a custom makeover. Photo by Ron Henningsen of Shoreview Photo.
Heather Rende of Crystal, Minn., bought her ’74 Volkswagen Super Beetle on a whim in 2008 for the sole purpose of turning it into a show car.
The champagne colored bug was Rende’s first project car. She had no background or experience in cars, but she found all of that and more in the Frankensteiners Car Club, which she joined shortly after buying the Beetle. The club was always on the lookout for projects, Rende said, and offered to help her give the VW a makeover.
The project began in the spring of 2008 and in less than a month of work in the club’s garage, the car was turned into a head-turning hot rod. The mods:
Satin black paint with bright pink flames and green pin striping, nerf bars in place of the bumpers, shaved and relocated front blinkers, modified taillights including a maltese cross taillight, a stinger pipe, headlight eyebrows, new rocker panels and running boards, a two-inch front drop and painted wheels. The black and pink vinyl interior took longer to complete; it was fully installed after about a year. The transmission and carb have also been replaced since the build.
“I chose how it would look,” Rende said. “However, the work was a team effort. Whoever had the talent worked on it. I did not work on it. Just helped where I could.”
Rende said the Beetle sees plenty of action during show season. She said it’s a blast to drive and draws attention everywhere.
“Lot’s of smiles,” she said. “As you can imagine, girls love it!’
October 15th, 2011 | Articles, Car Features
