Forget the numbers. The Twisted TBug is a car you drive with your heart, not an Excel spreadsheet. Less power, more character – and more smiles on the dirt road.
In a world where every restomod screams "look at me, I have 1200 horses!", it is Twisted TBug the quiet guy who wins with style. With less than 80 horses (yes, you read that right – eighty!), no turbo, no electric assist. Just you, a retro steering wheel, and an air-cooled boxer engine that sounds like the soundtrack to your childhood.
Twisted Automotive, the British Land Rover Defender conversion gurus, went in a completely different direction. Instead of SUV brutalism - retro romanticism. Instead of luxury – soul. TBug was born from the obsession of founder Charles Fawcett, who as a child daydreamed about Baja Bug posters on his sister's bedroom wall. And now that he's big, rich, and a genius, he's made that dream come true.
Twisted TBug: when Baja meets Zen
The basis? A 1960–1980 VW Beetle. Engine? An air-cooled flat-four, doubled from the original, but still “cheerfully under 80 horses” (which means about 59 kW). Rear-wheel drive, manual transmission, pure mechanics. Suspension with extra long travel, BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires, EMPI Baja rims. And the bodywork? It’s like you carved it in a dream. The TBug isn’t just a car, it’s a state of mind.
Handmade, digitally uncorrupted
Everyone TBug is unique. Custom-made, tailored to your ego… sorry, taste. You can choose the color, accessories, interior – but the basic philosophy remains: no bloat, no fakes. Digital speedometer and wooden steering wheel? Of course. Old school outside, zen-tech inside.
Twisted TBug: Specifications (because we still want numbers)
- Model: Twisted TBug
- Basis: VW Beetle (1960–1980)
- Engine: air-cooled boxer, converted
- Power: < 80 HP (approx. 59 kW)
- Gearbox: manual
- Drive: the last one
- Suspension: long-travel (probably Bilstein)
- Rims: EMPI Baja
- Tires: BF Goodrich All-Terrain
- Markets: UK & USA
- Execution: completely unique, made to order
Conclusion: Twisted TBug is more than a car – it's your alter ego
TBug is not here to conquer you with acceleration to 100 km/h. It is not here to drive faster than your neighbor's Taycan. TBug is your rebellion against a world where only numbers count. And that is exactly why it has a soul. It is a memory of the times when you dreamed with your eyes open. When you drew race tracks in the sandbox and believed that the posters on the wall would one day become real.
Price? Twisted is still silent. But judging by their previous projects, the TBug will cost more than a Jimny, but less than a Defender. Which means – it won't be cheap. But hey, it never was a dream.
View this post on Instagram
If you're crazy enough, passionate enough, and cool enough, then TBug isn't just a car. It's your automotive spirit animal.
