![\"Fusconeta](\"https:\/\/silodrome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fusconeta-Volkspod-Mini-Bike.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThis is a 2026 Fusconeta Volkspod, it\u2019s a Brazilian minibike built around a Volkswagen Beetle front fender, with a tubular steel frame and a 212cc Predator engine.<\/p>\n
History Speedrun: The Fusconeta Volkspod Minibike<\/p>\n
The Fusconeta Volkspod<\/a> is a small custom minibike built around a fiberglass replica of a Volkswagen Beetle\u2019s front fender. They\u2019re made in Curitiba in the southern Brazilian state of Paran\u00e1, by Small Motors Brasil Ltda.<\/p>\n The Fusconeta name is a play on \u201cFusca,\u201d the Brazilian Portuguese nickname for the Beetle, combined with the Portuguese word \u201cmotoneta\u201d (meaning scooter). The simple concept behind the Beetle-inspired minibike has turned out to be hugely popular, and they\u2019ve now sold more than 800 of them to customers in Brazil and the United States.<\/p>\n The concept of the Fusconeta didn\u2019t begin in Brazil, it was created by Brent Walter<\/a>, a maker and fabricator in Huntington, Indiana. Walter, a former tool-and-die maker then employed in medical-device manufacturing, had four spare Beetle fenders left over from restoring his own Type 1.<\/p>\n He needed practice butt-welding thin sheet metal in preparation for fitting a ragtop, and decided to meld two front fenders and two rear fenders into a single rounded shell. Set on a minibike chassis with a 79cc engine, the result looked something like a wheeled insect with a cyclopic headlight. Walter posted it to Instagram as the Volkspod, a name borrowed from Randy Grubb\u2019s polished-aluminum Decopods, Piaggio-based art-deco scooters later featured on Jay Leno\u2019s Garage.<\/p>\n The first Volkspod was strictly a car-show toy \u2013 the follow-up, painted pastel blue and commissioned by American Pickers\u2019 Robbie Wolfe, used a 212cc engine, taller 13 inch tires, and offered more ground clearance. After both bikes went viral online, Walter was inundated with build requests but could only produce them part-time, on evenings and weekends. This opened up a gap for a commercial manufacturer capable of building hundreds rather than just tens.<\/p>\n Small Motors Brasil stepped in to meet demand<\/a> \u2013 rather than cut up donor Beetles, the company sourced fiberglass replica fenders, widely available in Brazil as VW aftermarket bodywork, and fitted them over a tubular steel scooter chassis.<\/p>\n Production became scalable and significantly cheaper, while keeping the original silhouette intact. According to the manufacturer\u2019s specifications, each Fusconeta is built around a MIG-welded tubular steel frame and powered by a 200+cc four-stroke single producing 7 bhp, with electric start and an automatic transmission.<\/p>\n Stopping is handled by a rear hydraulic disc brake operated from the handlebars, there is no front brake. Suspension is provided entirely by the sidewall flex of wide tubeless kart tires. Headlight and taillight are LED units integrated into the fender, and rated payload is 150 kgs. Many are powered by 212cc Predator and 223cc Viking engines, which offer decent reliability and good spare parts availability.<\/p>\n A US dealer in Orlando, Florida, lists new Fusconetas at $2,999. Liveries on offer include Martini Racing, John Player Special, a Harley-Davidson tribute, a hot-rod theme, and even a Minions model.<\/p>\n The 2026 Fusconeta Volkspod Shown Here<\/p>\n The minibike you see here is a 2026 Fusconeta Volkspod finished with an unusual cartoon-style graphics package that we haven\u2019t seen used before, making the bike look almost it drove off the pages of a mid-century comic book.<\/p>\n This Volkspod is powered by a 212cc Predator single-cylinder engine with pull start and an automatic, centrifugal clutch. It has a 1.25 inch rear axle, a disc brake, and a powder-coated reinforced steel frame.<\/p>\n It has a lightweight fiberglass VW Beetle front fender as its bodywork, and it has a chrome handlebar, vintage-style saddle, go kart tires, and a listed top speed of somewhere in the region of 40 mph.<\/p>\n This Fusconeta Volkspod is due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late July and you can visit the listing here<\/a> to read more about it or register to bid.<\/p>\n Images courtesy of Mecum<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nThese minibikes have become hugely popular, they\u2019re now available in a wide range of colors and with custom graphics. There fact that they have no manual clutch or gears also makes them remarkably easy for first-time motorcyclists to hop on and ride.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nThe minibike you see here is a 2026 Fusconeta Volkspod finished with an unusual cartoon-style graphics package that we haven\u2019t seen used before, making the bike look almost it drove off the pages of a mid-century comic book.<\/p>\n<\/a>
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