1973 Volkswagen Beetle ‘Criatura’

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed something puzzlingly different about this car.

Are the wing mirrors unusual? Are those chromed wheel-arch protectors non-standard? Is there something odd about the tyres?

No, pretty sure it’s not that.

Ah yes. Got it. Of course.

The whole car is bright green and covered with hand-painted octopus tentacles.

Those who are up to speed with what’s hot and what’s not in the esoteric world of contemporary art will have instantly recognised the signature ‘TENTA’ theme of London-based artist ‘Criatura’ (Spanish for ‘creature’).

He has wrapped his tentacles, so to speak, around all manner of subjects and products and earned an international following through exhibitions and shows in Frieze London, Art Basel, Miami and Tate Modern.​

Why this mono-thematic approach, we hear you wondering?

Well, in the artist’s own words - “Convention tells you to paint everything one way. What If I paint one thing, every way?”

Which seems fair enough.

The artist approached Les Rampton of the respected classic Volkswagen dealer and restorer ‘VW Bullibarn’ and persuaded Les to let him work his magic on this particular 1973 Beetle – which was originally a rather more prosaic shade of light blue and entirely free of any visual references to cephalopods.

VW Bullibarn only source and buy examples that are fundamentally solid and basically sound.

Consequently, much of their stock originally hailed from warmer, salt-free climes such as those found in California and South Africa.

In fact, they initially thought that this car must have come from somewhere like that but it then transpired that the car had been built for the German market and had lived there, with one owner, until at least 1985.

It was first registered in this country in 1999 but must have been laid-up somewhere as it doesn’t appear in MoT records until 2006, when it was recorded as having 47 miles on the 5-digit odometer – suggesting that the true mileage then was 100,047 miles.

Today, the odometer is showing 71 miles, so it’s safe to assume that the car has been doing virtually nothing for quite some time.

We know that VW Bullibarn bought the car from a man who had had stored it unused in his garage for a decade or so.

The car was originally driven to our Oxfordshire HQ by the artist himself.

Apparently, one of its first outings after being given the Criatura tentacle treatment was at an event hosted by the Mexican ambassador, which is why the car sports a taxi sign.

We’re reliably informed that brightly hued Beetles can often be seen plying their trade as Hackney carriages on the colourful streets of Mexico City.

So, there you go.

The bodywork is pretty reasonable overall and there are no major dinks, dents or creases that we can see.

The paintwork is, obviously, completely and utterly bespoke. And, because it was done by hand, there are a few paint runs and drips here and there to attest to its authenticity as a unique piece of work.

The chrome is mostly good, although there are a few spots of foxing on the front bumper, the inside surfaces of which have a fair bit of corrosion in evidence.

There is some bubbling to be found on the rear valance, around the o/s/f headlamp, at the rear base of the offside roof gutter, and there’s a small spot just below the driver’s door window.

There’s also clearly some corrosion in the structure underpinning the running boards, with neither feeling very strong or robust.

The wheels seem to be in decent nick and the tyres look to have plenty of life left in them.

Some badging is missing from the engine cover.

The interior is pretty much an analogue for its exterior counterpart, at least inasmuch that it’s some distance from perfect, but by no means a project-level challenge.

The black vinyl seats are in good condition, front and back, and the seats are as supportive and comfortable as you’d hope.

There are a couple of small holes in the vinyl at the rear of the driver’s seat back, and some piping trim has come loose on the front passenger seat.

The carpets and mats seem to be in good order, as do the door cards.

The headlining is just the painted metal underside of the roof, and there are a few specks of surface rust peeping through the paint in places.

The carpet trim for the small luggage bay behind the rear seats has come loose and flopped down.

The vinyl trim around the instrument binnacle is lifting and coming away, and the passenger sun visor is missing.

We noticed that the ignition key barrel can be a little temperamental and this will probably need looking at.

The ‘frunk’ appears to be in decent nick and contains a spare wheel, a car cover and some loose carpet trim.

As ever, there’s not much to learn from peering into the engine bay on a Beetle.

It looks pretty tidy, clean and dry, and there's a couple of shiny new bits which look like they were fitted recently. The Beetle idles well however, under load it does tend to want to cut out so further investigation and road testing will be required.

Aside from the corrosion under the running boards and where they meet the sills, there seems to be a decent amount of structural integrity in general, although you’ll want to take a look yourself and reach your own conclusions.

The car comes with very little by way of paper history.

There is a fresh MoT certificate and an invoice for money spent on a recent service, to make sure the car is fit for sale.

The roads are awash with Herbie-tribute Beetles.
 

If you’ve got one you must spend half your life finding yourself parked next to another one.

They’re as common as muck and two-a-penny.

As the proud new owner of this Criatura ‘TENTA’ Beetle, you will have no such worries.

Not only will you have bought a truly unique car, you’ll also have two investments to keep an eye on – one in the classic car market, the other in the world of contemporary art.

And that could make your ownership as rewarding as it will be enjoyable.

Without the unique paintwork, we'd estimate this car at £5,000 - £8,000, but who knows what it's worth today?.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am- 12pm or 2pm-4pm. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.