The engine cover on a VW Beetle — known also as the engine lid, the decklid, or, by drooling simpletons, 'the trunk,' is one of the best, quickest ways to ID the year of any VW you see.

With approximately 60,000 miles (96,500 km) on the odometer, it’s a relatively low-mileage example for a 52-year-old VW. More: This Rolls Royce Beetle Is The Most Expensive Way To Look Poor ...

Adonis, the owner, builder and VW enthusiast tells us its story. Because the classic Beetle has a rear-mounted flat-4 engine, the natural candidate for an engine transplant is Subaru.

The air-cooled VW engine seems like a distant thing of the past to most. That's easy to understand since the Beetle left the U.S. in the 1970s because it didn't meet crash safety standards.

Based on the vehicle introduced last year, the updated VW Beetle GRC has ditched the 1.6-liter turbocharged and intercooled TSI four-cylinder engine for a larger 2.0-liter TSI unit that produces ...

Well, we're not sure swapping the stock air-cooled Beetle engine for a three-cylinder radial engine sufficiently solves the lack of power problem without test-driving it. But it sure looks wicked.