I'm not sure whether Herbie would approve. To make a Baja Bug, you take a stock VW Beetle, chop the front and back at an angle, add fill-in panels, trim the fenders, soup up the (now-exposed) engine and put on a set of balloon tires.

Baja Bugs were developed in the late 1960s as a home-made alternative to the fiberglass-bodied Meyers Manx beach buggies that excelled in the sandy, hilly terrain. Why 'Baja'? Well, the Baja California Peninsula in northwest Mexico is home to the Mexican 1000 off-road race. To make a Baja Bug, you take a stock VW Beetle, chopped-off the front and back portions of the car at an angle, add fill-in panels, oversized trim and fenders, super tune the (now-exposed) engine, and put on a set of wide balloon or paddle-tread tires. Baja Bugs were developed in the late 1960s as a home-made alternative to the fiberglass-bodied Meyers Manx beach buggies of the time period that excelled in the sandy, hilly terrain. The Baja Beetle got its' name due to the fact that the Baja California Peninsula in northwest Mexico is home to the 'Mexican 1000' off-road race. The tool debuted in the 1984 Real Riders Series. The Baja Bug is a Hot Wheels casting based on the Volkswagen Beetle and designed by Larry Wood.