This is what it’s all about. An obscure high-performance model based on a car you never thought deserved such a treatment made in extremely low…
3 CommentsTag: New Beetle
In late 1972, Volkswagen introduced a ‘performance’ version of the Beetle called the GSR. Unlike the Mitsubishi moniker that you may be more familiar with, GSR here stood for ‘Gelb Schwarzer Renner’ – or ‘yellow-black racer’, which is how they were delivered. Output from the 1.6-liter flat-four was a meager 50 horsepower, but the GSR did get styled steel wheels and sport seats.
Fast forward to 2014, and Volkswagen decided to reintroduce the GSR. The R-Line name meant that it was the turbocharged variant, so performance was quite a bit more impressive than the original. The GSR was equipped with a 210-horsepower FSI motor, sport suspension, 19″ wheels, leather upholstery, special trim, a rear spoiler, xenon headlights, a sunroof, and a few special trim pieces to help you stand out.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR R-Line on eBay
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Okay, the last converted Pickup was a bit of a letdown in everything but concept:
Well, as luck would have it, another popped up. This one is based on the much curvier Beetle, and as you’d probably guess (or can see) the results are as retro-inspired as the New Beetle was. So let’s check out the execution of this kit and what it’ll set you back today:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 Volkswagen Beetle Smyth Pickup on eBay
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Okay, so although the New Beetle definitely isn’t the most exciting car we’ve written up on these pages, there were some bright points. Since the architecture was essentially just a Golf underneath, you had some pretty fun performance options, like the Turbo S:
Then, of course, to kick it up a few notches there was the Volkswagen Motorsport Beetle RSi – a 3.2-liter powered, all-wheel drive monster. It was basically an R32, but it was somehow way, way better – but only 250 were made, and we’re unfortunately not here to look at one. There were plenty of other special editions of the New Beetle produced, but this isn’t one of them, either. No, this is a fairly basic 2000 GLS – replete with a 2.0-liter inline-4 rated at 115 horsepower and a 4-speed auto. So why are we here? Well, it’s 2021, and things are about to get interesting!
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2000 Volkswagen Beetle GLS on eBay
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Rather unceremoniously, 2020 marks the death of an automotive icon. The very last Volkswagen Beetle rolled from the third generation production line in Puebla, Mexico in July and while you can log in to VW’s website and still see the model listed, existing stock is all that’s left. The two most recent Beetles never really achieved the notoriety of the original, but nonetheless they offered a welcome break from the standard three-box design and were decidedly anti-SUV. You don’t have to like them, but you can respect that they were different.
In the case of the third-generation Beetle, I think they were actually pretty good looking, too. Spacious, economical, and good-to-drive thanks to a shared Golf MQB platform, several special models graced dealerships in an attempt to sway buyers. Here’s one – the ‘Dune’. More a fashion statement than an actual Baja Bug, the Dune added .2″ of ground clearance and a half an inch of plastic moldings all around. Faux skid plates, special decals, a huge spoiler and polished door sills rounded out the exterior trim additions. Power came from the familiar 1.8T shared with the Passat, Golf and Jetta models (among others worldwide), and gave you 170 horsepower channeled only through a 6-speed automatic: