To those who aren�t music fans�or perhaps are really into pressed metal�this Beetle concept being shown at the Frankfurt auto show may at first sound like a tribute to a specific body panel. This is not true. It is a tribute to guitars, specifically those made by Fender. It is a further extension of a partnership that has seen tiny Fender badges affixed to stereos in several current VWs. It is also cool.
The exterior is low-key, with retro-sized tailpipes jutting from under the bumper like tiny herald�s horns, red window trim, a lower and wider stance, and subtle Fender badging. The interior is what makes this show car special, though.
The cabin is lined with genuine wood trim finished in Fender�s signature Sunburst coloration, and there�s a tube amp on top of the dash. The plastic radio surround has been replaced by light-colored mesh like you�d find on an old amplifier (with an iPhone dock in the middle), and the HVAC controls have been metalized to remind of guitar and amp knobs. A quarter-inch socket and tone adjustments are located in the hatch area, allowing you to plug in a guitar and play it through the subwoofer.
If that last bit sounds familiar, Volkswagen halfheartedly delivered on that idea a few years ago, when it gave away First Act guitars with some cars. The instruments came with an onboard pre-amp, and they worked when plugged into the car�s aux-in port, basically like an iPod. But where that was a gimmicky trick designed to move some metal, this Beetle Fender comes across as a genuine tribute to music and guitars. It doesn�t go overboard with the association, avoiding caricature�the pick holder near the gearshift treads dangerously close to that line, but we�ll let it slide.
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