Twisted Automotive, a Yorkshire-based outfit known for turning Land Rover Defenders into bespoke beasts, isn’t your typical car mod shop. Founded by Charles Fawcett, who grew up tinkering with Land Rovers and daydreaming about Baja Bugs thanks to his sister’s bedroom posters, Twisted has spent over two decades perfecting the art of the restomod. The TBug, their latest creation, is a love letter to the 1960s Baja Bug—a stripped-down, jacked-up VW Beetle that surf bros and desert racers turned into a legend.
The TBug’s heart is a reengineered air-cooled flat-four engine, a nod to the original Beetle’s mechanical simplicity. Twisted claims it delivers “twice the power” of the original Baja Bug, which translates to roughly 80 horsepower. Now, before you scoff at that number—modern hatchbacks churn out triple that—Twisted insists this isn’t about raw numbers. The engine’s been meticulously tuned for reliability, ensuring it can handle the abuse of off-road adventures without coughing up a lung.
- ROAD TRIP: Take a family trip to the beach in the Volkswagen Beetle. This classic 1960 compact car guarantees a smooth ride with a rear engine, and it...
- STORAGE INCLUDED: Use the roof rack to store your surfboard and beach bag, or remove the rack to access the car's interior
- JUST LIKE THE REAL THING: The rear opens for added fun!
What’s intriguing is the retention of a manual transmission, hinted at by the “three pedals on the floor” spotted in the teaser video. This is a deliberate middle finger to the automatic-everything trend, prioritizing driver engagement over convenience. You’re not just driving a TBug—you’re wrestling it, feeling every gear shift as you kick up dust.
This isn’t some spruced-up Beetle chassis—Twisted gutted and rebuilt it from scratch, making it tough as nails to tackle the wild. Paired with a long-travel suspension that’s practically begging to climb rocks or launch over dunes, this rig’s got the clearance and flex to dominate any terrain with serious swagger.
Will it sell? Twisted isn’t aiming for mass production. The TBug is a niche offering for those who get it—enthusiasts who’d rather spend six figures on a hand-built Beetle than a generic luxury SUV. With deliveries planned for the UK and beyond, and a price that’ll likely make you wince, the TBug is unapologetically exclusive. But for those who buy in, it’s a ticket to a driving experience that’s as rebellious as the original Baja Bug, reimagined for a new era.
My sister Helen had these incredible Baja Bug posters on her bedroom wall when we were kids. There was something about those modified Beetles – rebellious, capable, and unashamedly fun – that captured my imagination and shaped the vision behind ‘Desert Rebellion Reimagined: The Story Behind the Twisted TBug.’ It’s about the connection between driver, machine, and terrain. That sensation of working with the vehicle rather than merely sitting in it. Modern cars have isolated us from the driving experience. The TBug brings it back in its purest form, a nod to the rebellious spirit at the heart of the desert rebellion reimagined,” said Charles Fawcett, founder of Twisted Automotive.
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