Bizarro World: China builds fake VW Beetles from fibreglass

Anyone who likes cartoons or comics will remember the character Bizarro, Superman's antagonist. The villain was created by a duplicator beam and is a defective clone of Superman. His planet, Bizarro World, has the shape of a cube and is an upside-down Earth: everything we have here also exists there, but in an unfortunate way.

The cars have square wheels, the curtains stick out of the windows, the numbers on the clocks are mixed up and the signs are written backwards. And lo and behold, when we google it, we discover that the Chinese produce a Volkswagen Beetle from the Bizarro World - and we're not talking about the Ora Ballet Cat, a four-door electric car in the style of the Beetle, which is painstakingly produced by the GWM Group.

Our VW Beetle from the parallel universe is crude and poorly made. You can't even call it a real car. It is a product of Wecan, a company based in Qingdao, a city halfway between Beijing and Shanghai.

Gallery: Wecan fibreglass models in China

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Source: Motor1.com

Wecan specialises primarily in the manufacture of trailers and food trucks based on models from the past. Their electric motors are only used to make the vehicles easier to move over short distances, as these vehicles cannot be registered.

VW Bus, Citroën and Vespa Ape

The company's flagship is a trailer with stainless steel walls, reminiscent of the famous Airstreams from the United States. The range continues with vehicles that can travel under their own power - but not too fast and not too far.

On a square tube chassis equipped with an electric motor, Wecan mounts fibreglass bodies with a retro look and a boot that serves as a kitchen, ice cream parlour or shop. Everything is customised according to the customer's order. (Some people will remember retro ice-cream vans)

There are trolleys that imitate various versions of the three-wheeled Piaggio Ape, as well as replicas of the Citroën Type H (1948-1981) and the VW T1 "Bus" (1949-1967). By "replicas" we mean almost caricature-like copies of the original vehicles. Some are not even moulded from the real cars, but from 3D models designed by Wecan. And so many of them have the charm of a Revell model kit glued together by an eight-year-old.

Wecan models made of fibreglass in China

Motor1.de

The new product of the day is the Wecan Beetle, a rather nasty VW Beetle clone. The body is a one-piece fibreglass block that connects the wings/fenders to the central body and integrates them in a single casting. Visually, it is reminiscent of the 1968 German model, with upright headlights and sleek bumpers. However, some readers are also reminded of the 1970s models after the 1303 or the Mexico Beetle. Whatever the case, its dimensions correspond to those of the real Volkswagen, but that's about it.

According to the Wecan price list, the car comes with a complete lighting system, but the attachments in the photos have nothing to do with the original. The handles and knobs are disproportionately large and were certainly made from material that was already available at the factory. 

Wecan models made of fibreglass in China

Motor1.de

The bumpers, also made of fibreglass, are painted silver and mounted below their original position, giving the curvature of the front wings a strange appearance. According to the brochure, the car is made of real fibreglass and not acrylic, as one might expect.

The original engine cooling grille under the rear window has been covered up. The running boards have been removed and the wing mirrors are motorbike mirrors. The doors, on the other hand, are attached with normal hinges and do not match the bodywork. The strangest thing of all is that the bodywork appears to be well above the chassis. The wheels and tyres also protrude from the wings. 

Inside, the Wecan looks even less like a VW Beetle. The floor is smooth, without the centre tunnel. The dashboard is also smoothed and simplified, and there is a small digital display. There are two pedals, with the brake pedal hinged at the top. The seats are upholstered in artificial leather and are thin. Both the door glass and the windscreen appear to be solid, and a layer of polyurethane attempts to dampen the heat.

Wecan models made of fibreglass in China

Motor1.de

Maximum speed of 22 mph

The rear-mounted electric motor is powered by a pack of ordinary lead-acid batteries. With this configuration the car reaches a top speed of 22 mph and can cover 50 miles between two charges (which take between six and eight hours).

This is sufficient for the purposes expected of this Chinese Volkswagen dummy: Wedding rides, short trips for tourists, advertising appearances and window displays. It should be noted that the German brand has never officially sold the original VW Beetle in China. If you don't have a Beetle, take a Wecan.

Bizarre things from the VW universe:

VW T1 for the railway: Trolleybus from 1955 recovered

VW looks back at quirky Bulli versions, including one bus with tracks

This super-sized VW party bus replica is actually an old fire engine

Weird VW Transporter food van isn't the wurst we've seen

And anyone who believes that this Beetle from the multiverse is cheap is mistaken. In China, its FOB (export) value is $7,513 or around £5700 at the current exchange rate. If you order more than five units, you will pay $6,990 (approx. £5300) for each one. In this country, you could find quite good original Beetles for these prices.

And it looks as if Wecan will not stop there. The photos show other models on the factory premises, e.g. a Mini from before 2000, a Mercedes L 319 minibus (1955-1968) and a VW T2. The Mundo Bizarro duplication beam is in full swing.