Having announced the Beetle GRC a few months ago, Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team has unveiled the official car that will run later this season in the Red Bull Global Rallycross championship, where it will be driven by Tanner Foust and Scott Speed.
This bug is tuned to have it all: a 1.6-liter TSI turbocharged and intercooled engine making 544 horsepower mated to a sequential six-speed transmission pushing power through a fixed-ratio all-wheel-drive system with multiplate limited-slip differentials at the front and rear. An all-around strut-type suspension system with ZF dampers provides about 9.1 inches of travel to conquer the off-road portion of a Rallycross course, while 14.0-inch diameter front and 11.8-inch diameter rear vented disc brakes with four-piston aluminum calipers help slow it down. 17-inch wheels wrapped in 240/640-R17 Yokohama competition tires serve as the Beetle’s contact with the ground.
Complementing the impressive powertrain, suspension, brakes, and and rolling stock is an equally-impressive exterior, with a huge rear wing, widebody fenders, and an aggressive front fascia. Overall, the car is 168.8 inches long and 71.7 inches wide, and has to weigh in at a minimum of 2668 pounds to comply with series regulations. The impressive combination of low weight, high horsepower, and all-wheel-drive traction allows the Beetle GRC to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in an estimated blazing-fast 2.1 seconds. In other words, this is probably the meanest and fastest beetle we’ve ever seen.
The VW Andretti Rallycross team enters the third round of the season with two victories for Scott Speed driving the No. 7 7UP Volkswagen Polo. Both Speed and Foust are excited by the potential of their new rocket.
“The Polo has already proved super-competitive,” said Speed, “and we are really looking forward to racing a car that has been engineered specifically by Volkswagen Motorsport for GRC competition.” Foust added: “I know I can’t wait to race the No. 34 Rockstar Energy Drink Beetle. There’s no cooler looking car in the series.”
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