My in-laws moved to new abodes around Christmas last year, so some of the holiday gifting included re-gifted items that didn’t sell at the yard sale. One such item was a brand-new (some might say, new old stock) Chia pet in the classic bull shape, and the similarities to this kitted up Beetle here on craigslist are uncanny. I wonder, though, if you could just add water and watch it grow?

The only two photos you’re getting are the one above and image showing a pile of hoods, engine covers and fenders. It all makes sense when you realize the seller is offering this Beetle with the kit for $1,800, or without it (and presumably the stock parts included) for $1,500. I can appreciate body kits in some form, but when I see examples like this poor attempt to make a Beetle into a thundering Porsche 930, I have to ask if the original kit creators ever looked the car they intended to fit it on.

Since those were the only two photos provided, I went to hunt down some finished examples. To my surprise, I didn’t have to look too hard. This black Beetle / 930 appears to wear the same kit as our feature car, and I can’t say it looks any better complete. Maybe it’s the wheels, which clearly have sufficient width in the rear to better fill out those outrageously wide hindquarters, but otherwise look like they were purchased at K-Mart. The bigger issue is the upright greenhouse of the Beetle is at constant odds with the windswept look of the 930 kit.

Here’s another example, which, despite being even more extreme with the classic Ferrari side strakes installed, actually looks the most complete of the three shown here. Notice the “Otteinger” name on the front valence, which is a major German tuning house that might actually have the budget to kind-of-sort-of stretch this Porsche-lookalike kit over the Beetle’s bulbous proportions. Well, I’ve shown you what’s possible if you treat this Beetle like the Chia pet in my basement – you just have to believe it will someday grow into a mini-Porsche. Any takers?