Volkswagen Beetle : 417kW Global Rally Cross car revealed

Powered by a 417kW-plus direct-injection turbocharged petrol engine and underpinned by an all-wheel-drive system, the GRC Beetle will hit the road and dirt for the first time at the X Games in Austin, Texas in June.

Behind the wheel of the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team Beetles will be 2011 and 2012 GRC champion Tanner Foust and former F1 and NASCAR driver Scott Speed.

A deep front bumper with gaping intakes, exaggerated wheel arches surrounding racing wheels and tyres, twin central exhaust outlets and a massive twin rear wing make the Beetle GRC unmistakeable, though the basic Bug design remains the same.

One of the fastest-growing forms of motorsport in the US, Global Rallycross pits cars against each other in a series of heats on a closed course comprising dirt, asphalt and 20-metre jumps.

The 2014 X Games kicks off on June 5.