Winning: Paul Newman's Ford 351-powered Volkswagen Beetle for sale

From the King of Cool to Cool Hand Luke, our movie hero vehicles are right at our fingertips. Now if we only had $250,000 to spend on a Volkswagen Beetle.

The “Newman Bug,” as it was once called, is up for sale for a cool quarter-million dollars. The red 1963 VW drop-top has the standard-issue chrome bumpers and a black cloth top in good condition. Oh, and did we mention that it has a mid-mounted 351-cubic-inch Ford Windsor engine?

Newman bought the convertible in 1963, and he even appeared with it in commercials for Volkswagen. After he fell in love with racing while filming his part in Winning, he tapped renowned Indy-car builder Jerry Eisert to modify the lowly Beetle.

Along with the 300-hp 351W, Eisert installed a five-speed ZF transmission with an array of suspension parts to keep it stable at speed. The rear gets a custom A-arm setup for racing.

Legend has it that after Eisert finished the car, Newman could be found out on Mulholland Drive with some friends taking on all comers with the hopped-up bug.

The actor later donated the VW to Sam Contino and friends at the Chaffey College auto shop in Alta Loma, Calif. There they restored the bug even further, adding school colors to the paint job and four Keystone chrome rims. The car was prepped for racing at the shop, though it was used mostly as a visual aid.

When Contino retired from the college he was given the car as a gift, and his garage is where it stayed until 2009. Contino and his son restored the car one last time in April of that year. They planned to show Newman the refinished bug, but the actor passed away before they completed the car.

Those who want to take a serious look, or make a serious offer, on Newman's VW can head to www.oldbug.com for a ton more photos. Just remember to have your checkbook and a steady hand.

Oldbug.com via the Los Angeles Times

By Jake Lingeman