Humble Metamorphosis - Dreaming about exotic cars is almost a rite of passage for automotive enthusiasts. The sleek silhouettes, dramatic doors, and supercar aura often feel permanently out of reach, trapped behind intimidating price tags. Yet history occasionally offers clever detours—moments when creativity, not capital, reshapes what is possible. One of the most fascinating examples of this idea in motion is
the Aquilla Gullwing, a car that famously makes the bug feel like a butterfly.😁
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| The Volkswagen Beetle of 1963 wore the FiberFab's Aquila Gullwing kit car, an exotic-sleek car with gullwing-style doors. (Picture from: ClassicCars) |
At its core,
the Aquilla Gullwing begins life as something entirely ordinary:
a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle.
Known affectionately as “The Bug,” the Beetle was never designed to turn heads in the supercar sense.
But when this humble platform fell into the hands of FiberFab,
an automotive company based in Cupertino,
California,
its destiny changed dramatically. The transformation stripped away every visual trace of
the Beetle, replacing it with an exotic form that looked closer to a European concept car than a people’s car.
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| The Volkswagen Beetle of 1963 wore the FiberFab's Aquilla Gullwing kit car shown here is the 137th production car, which still uses the original paint color combination of ivory and beige. (Picture from: ClassicCars) |
FiberFab itself was a product of bold thinking. Founded by Robert Mueller in 1964, the company became known for producing kit cars that allowed enthusiasts to build something extraordinary without astronomical costs. During the 1980s, FiberFab initially envisioned the Aquilla Gullwing as a kit mounted on the exotic and exclusive BMW M1 chassis—an idea as ambitious as it was impractical for most buyers. Reality soon redirected that vision toward the far more accessible Volkswagen Beetle chassis, opening the door for budget-conscious dreamers.
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| The Volkswagen Beetle of 1963 wore the FiberFab's Aquila Gullwing kit car with its gullwing-style doors openned. (Picture from: ClassicCars) |
The result was visually striking.
The Aquilla Gullwing featured dramatic gullwing doors,
a low and flowing body,
and proportions that conveyed speed even while standing still.
From the outside,
it delivered the full illusion of a supercar fantasy,
especially impressive considering its modest mechanical origins.
Inside,
the design remained simple yet cohesive,
often finished in tasteful color combinations like ivory and beige,
paired with a brown interior that reinforced its retro-futuristic charm.
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| The Volkswagen Beetle of 1963 wore the FiberFab's Aquila Gullwing kit car has brown colored interior. (Picture from: Hemmings) |
Despite its bold appearance,
the Aquilla Gullwing never pretended to be a performance monster.
Beneath the sculpted body sat Volkswagen’s familiar flat-four engine,
displacing just 1,200 cc and producing around 40 horsepower. Any expectations of blistering acceleration vanished the moment the engine started.
In motion, the car behaved exactly like its Beetle donor—
calm,
unhurried,
and mechanically honest—
reminding drivers that this butterfly still carried the heart of a bug.🦋
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| The Volkswagen Beetle of 1963 wore the FiberFab's Aquila Gullwing kit car is powered by a flat-four 1,200 cc engine which is only capable bursting the power of 40 hp only. (Picture from: Hemmings) |
What truly elevates the Aquilla Gullwing today is its rarity.
According to records cited by HeritagePartsCenter,
FiberFab produced only around 150 Aquilla-bodied cars.
The example often referenced,
finished in its original ivory-and-beige paint scheme,
represents the 137th unit built. Limited numbers, combined with the niche nature of kit cars, have made surviving examples increasingly hard to find.
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| The Volkswagen Beetle of 1963 wore the FiberFab's Aquila Gullwing kit car is one of only 150 cars ever built in the 1980s. (Picture from: ClassicCars) |
That scarcity has reshaped how
the Aquilla Gullwing is viewed in modern times.
Once considered an affordable alternative to unattainable exotics,
it has slowly transitioned into a collectible curiosity.
Proof of this shift appeared in 2014,
when one example crossed the block at a Mecum Auction for $13,900,
as reported by ClassicCars.
What was once a budget-friendly dream has quietly matured into a valued piece of automotive history.😭
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| The Volkswagen Beetle of 1963 wore the FiberFab's Aquila Gullwing kit car remains a bug rather than a butterfly in terms of performance. (Picture from: ClassicCars) |
The Aquilla Gullwing stands as a reminder that passion often thrives in unexpected forms.
It captures a period when imagination could outpace engineering budgets,
when enthusiasts were willing to trade raw speed for visual drama and individuality. Today, its story feels more relevant than ever—proof that creativity can still turn the ordinary into something unforgettable, even decades later.
*** [EKA [27092021] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | FIBERFAB | HEMMINGS | HERITAGEPARTSCENTER | CLASSICCARS | MECUM | CLASSIC AND RECREATION SPORTSCARS IN FACEBOOK ]Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
