news

Volkswagen Beetle hits 330km/h at Bonneville Salt Flats: Will the real Bumblebee please stand up?

The 2016 World of Speed event at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, has witnessed a heavily modified Volkswagen Beetle reach a speed of 330.111 kilometres per hour.


Forget the Camaro, this is the Autobots' real Bumblebee.

Sadly, this is not your typical Beetle that you can buy from your local dealership. The Beetle LSR (Land Speed Record) has the same 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that is available in the overseas 2016 Beetle R-Line, but - of course - it's seen some very significant modifications.

To achieve a massive 543 horsepower (405kW), or over 600hp (447kW) at the crank, THR Manufacturing modified the heads, and added new parts such as turbochargers, camshafts, pistons, a limited-slip differential and connecting rods.

Helping the air glide over the bright yellow Beetle at such speed is a lowered (or slammed in Volkswagen talk) suspension setup, and the tyres were wrapped around the iconic Salt Flat rims.

To make the Beetle LSR lighter, the interior was stripped and a roll cage installed along with a harness and racing seat. Helping to slow it down were two parachutes hooked on to the rear, which no doubt, would’ve been an impressive sight.

Don’t dream of getting a stock Beetle this powerful, as the next quickest Beetle available in Australia is a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine that will reach 100km/h in 8.3 seconds.

Bug-ger.

MORE:Volkswagen Showroom
MORE:Volkswagen News
MORE:Volkswagen Reviews
MORE:Volkswagen Beetle Showroom
MORE:Volkswagen Beetle News
MORE:Volkswagen Beetle Reviews
MORE:Search Used Volkswagen Beetle Cars for Sale
MORE:Search Used Volkswagen Cars for Sale
MORE:Volkswagen Showroom
MORE:Volkswagen News
MORE:Volkswagen Reviews
MORE:Volkswagen Beetle Showroom
MORE:Volkswagen Beetle News
MORE:Volkswagen Beetle Reviews
MORE:Search Used Volkswagen Beetle Cars for Sale
MORE:Search Used Volkswagen Cars for Sale
Chat with us!







Chat with Agent