| abstract | - The Baja Bug is a Hot Wheels casting based on the Volkswagen Beetle and designed by Larry Wood. The tool debuted in the 1984 Real Riders Series. 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. 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. 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.
- The term Baja Bug generally refers to a Volkswagen modified to operate on sand dunes and beaches, although other versions of Air-cooled Volkswagens are sometimes modified as well.
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