This VW Beetle Hit 205 MPH On The Bonneville Salt Flats


Your average VW Beetle is not going to come anywhere close to 200 miles (320km/h) per hour. Porsche 911 Turbo, sure, but not a Beetle. Yet that's precisely what this one did.

Specially modified for the purpose and with Automobile mag's Preston Lerner behind the wheel, this Volkswagen Beetle LSR achieved a top speed of 205.122 mph over the course of a flying mile on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. That makes this the world's fastest Beetle.

To get there, VW contracted THR Manufacturing of Santa Paula, California, to rebuild the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. THR fitted new turbochargers, pistons, cams, connecting rods, and headers, to produce over 600 horsepower and nearly 500 lb-ft of torque at the crank – or 543 hp and 421 lb-ft at the wheel. That's well more than double what the engine produces in stock form.

VW also lowered the suspension, replaced the rolling stock with special wheels and tires, installed a limited-slip differential, stripped the interior, and fitted a roll cage, racing seat with harness, fire suppression system, and a pair of parachutes.

The result is far from showroom stock, but just goes to show that if you can get a Beetle to go 200 mph, you can do it with just about anything.










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Limited Edition Ford GT 'Competition Series' Is All About The Track

Image
Ford's new GT Competition Series was built with weight-saving in mind, but also with an improved center of gravity for better road-holding. Among its features, you'll notice the lightweight carbon fiber racing stripes, A-Pillars and side mirrors, as well as the unique race-inspired Perspex acrylic engine hatch with integrated venting. Thanks to the manual latch and the carbon fiber prop rod, weight near the roof has been reduced, though Ford engineers went even further in their quest to make the car lighter, by making the bulkhead Gorilla Glass behind the driver about half as thick (and as light) as on other models. "The Ford GT has racing in its blood," said Ford exec Raj Nair, while adding that the Competition Series "was developed with the most hardcore track enthusiasts in mind, providing a tailored set of lightweight features and unique livery to match." There are also plenty of remaining performance features from the production car, such as
Read more

Alpine A110 Hits Geneva With Pure, Legende And GT4 Versions

Image
Renault’s reborn Alpine brand has been getting rave reviews for its new A110 and now, as promised, it’s revealed new versions of its coupe at the Geneva Motor Show. Following the success of the sold-out Premiere Edition, the A110 will now be offered in Pure and Legende trims. The A110 Pure is targeted at driving enthusiasts. It features one-piece Sabelt sports seats that weigh barely more than 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds) each and, combined with other weight-saving measures, helps keep the curb weight below 1,100 kg ( 2,425 lbs). It’s not entirely stripped out, though, and still comes with features like air-conditioning and satellite navigation. Buyers can also add upgraded Brembo brakes and an adaptive exhaust system and can upgrade to the adjustable comfort seats. Those come standard on the Legende model, which is geared more towards every day driving and grand touring and comes with leather upholstery. Customers can also choose between two Focal sound systems and two wheel
Read more

Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Is A Crossover For Droptop Lovers

Image
Droptop crossovers have always been rather odd and the T-Roc Cabriolet is no different. It will be the only convertible Volkswagen on sale for the foreseeable future and will celebrate its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Rather than simply removing the roof of the standard T-Roc, Volkswagen has drastically altered the vehicle’s structure and body. In fact, its wheelbase is 37 mm longer than the standard T-Roc while its overall length is up by 34 mm. In addition, the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet features structural strengthening in the underbody, side panels, cross members, doors, and windscreen frame to make up for the lack of a roof. The folding fabric roof developed by Volkswagen retracts in just nine seconds at speeds of up to 19 mph (30.5 km/h) and is similar in operation to the roof of the outgoing Golf Cabriolet. The presence of the soft top reduces trunk space by 161 liters down from the 284 liters of the run-of-the-mill T-Roc. We don’t think bu
Read more