For this week’s episode of Rendered, the famed digital artist Khyzyl Saleem attempts to mix the impressive streamlined design of a modern Porsche 992 GT3 with a very distant cousin, the Volkswagen Beetle.
The original Beetle and early Porsches do have a similar layout and the Ferdinand engineering connection. However, it’s not like Porsche didn’t design a bunch of other vehicles… including tanks. Plus, rear-engined automobiles used to be pretty common in Europe.
However, the original Porsche 911 has a certain “Beetle” essence around it, thanks to the rounded fenders and circular headlights. As a result, many rendering artists have attempted to combine them.
Khyzyl Saleem aka The Kyza has also done Beetle renderings in the past. We remember that back in his Photoshop days, these had a cyberpunk element to them before there ever was a 2077 game. However, this rendering is done in 3D before our very eyes, so we get to see how some of the crazy posts on social media might come to exist.
What’s the point of the rendering
Because there are so many Porsche or VW renderings out there, we want to make it clear what this tries to achieve. Basically, it’s to take the shape of the Beetle, imagine it’s a 911 and give it the GT3 treatment.
To do that, the VW Bug gets lowered to the ground on center-lock wheels. Every major panel then gets sculpted around the idea of going fast.
The fenders become wider and getter integrate those round headlights, which now incorporate LED technology. Meanwhile, the hood is more streamlined and is accompanied by some large openings at the bottom of the bumper.
As a reminder, the original Beetle has a spare tire under the front hood. There are no air intakes because, frankly, it doesn’t need them. The simple flat-4 engine displaced between 1.1 and 1.6 liters. The 1940s Beetles produced just 25 horsepower and had a top speed of 60 mph.
When we get to the rear of the Beetle GT3, we notice that the fenders have become much more muscular. In addition, the Porsche 911’s homologation special aero means that a large wing dominates the top of the engine.
As interesting as Kyza’s rendering is, we feel like Rob3rt Design did it just as well. A couple of years ago, the Brazilian artist made a Beetle with a widebody kit just like older 911 RWB aftermarket models. And last month, we published the first story about a real-life RWB Volkswagen Beetle being built. It’s honestly an amazing little thing.