Here we have James May hammering on about the joys of driving a Beach Buggy, and I agree with everything he says.
However, I have one small difference of opinion with him, and it’s about that “no protection from the rain” thing. Maybe the Brits are inured to being wet, given that it’s always raining Over There; but ever since I got caught in a tropical downpour whilst riding in the back of an open Army truck, I’ve hated it. (I don’t mind a gentle drizzle falling on me, by the way, as long as I’m wearing a waterproof hat and raincoat — but trapped in an open car? Nope. Pure misery.)
So my alternative would be, lessee: something in fiberglass, wrapped around a VW engine (just like the Beach Buggy)… but with at least a token amount of protection against the wet stuff. Something like this (no it’s not a real 356, but a deepfake replica):
…and with its hat on:
I know it looks faintly ridiculous, like some old fart with his cap pulled down low over his eyes (yeah I know, I know), and that flimsy canvas thing would not be very good at fending off a Texas-style rainstorm (like that tropical rainstorm I spoke of earlier, only with Added Hail). But it would keep me dry enough until I got home, or under a freeway overpass or whatever.
Want. Badly.
For all the same reasons James May loves his Buggy. And just like the Buggy, it has a near-total lack of electronica:
…and trust me, I could do without the radio.