VW MINIHOME 1969 - PRESENT
he VW Beetle saloon car (officially designated Type 1) was designed by Ferdinand Porsche at the behest of Adolf Hitler, who wanted. The first prototypes were built in 1938, but mass production didn’t commence until late 1945, organised and overseen by (British Army Major) Ivan Hirst. Production continued until 2003. Its shape suggested the nickname Beetle, which became Bug in 1960s America. The original project of a motorhome body mounted on a chopped Beetle chassis-cowl was completed by Doug Allenthorpe – apparently a brilliant designer, but a less good businessman. He named it, rather memorably, the Super Bugger. Attempts to build it commercially crashed and burned, and the idea was sold to Arizona-based Robert Q Riley Design and Development. They saw the market as being one of DIY conversions with help from local chop-shops (vehicle customisers). Riley’s modified design was published in the June 1977 issue of , with the proviso that the name was changed to something less controversial – thus it became the MiniHome. Detailed plans were available for $55 and it is thought that just over 1000 were built, mostly in the late 1970s and 1980s. Updated CAD plans and donor vehicles are still available today, if you fancy a project.
