Autoblog

Through the years there have been many companies that capitalized on the construction of the air-cooled Volkswagens to create unique automobiles. Some of the more well-known examples are the Meyers Manx and the Bradley GT. You Hardcastle and McCormick fans, don't worry, we had childhood lust for the Coyote, even if it was a fiberglass tub surround with Plymouth Fury taillights. The rise of fiberglass technology in the '50s and '60s made it quite easy to whip up a custom body that would mount to the ubiquitous Type 1's floorpan. There were other custom-bodied VWs, and some are extremely rare and sought after. Hebmullers are some of the rarest custom-bodied Volkswagens ever made, and they fetch big money. To our eye, though, they still look an awful lot like a Beetle. The one that really sets our fires burning is the Rometsch.

The Rometsch cars bear the moniker of Frederich Rometsch, a German coachbuilder. Rometsch dreamt up coupes and convertibles that are at times reminiscent of Studebaker Golden Hawks, Porsche 356s, or even Volkswagen's own Karmann Ghia. The one we're crazy about is the Lauwerence Coupe, with a mid-centruy chic reverse C-Pillar. The Lauwerence was named after its designer, and looks to be exceedingly rare. While digging for Rometsch information, it seems the Beeskow coupes and 'verts (again, named for the designer) are more common, as far as super-rare VWs go.