New Beetle

GTP car pic by permission of V W

2001 April: VW Australia is entering the Australian GTP production Racing Championship with two RSi Beetles.

The RSi Beetle comes in two versions - 2.8 litre & front wheel drive, and 3.4 litre & all wheel drive. Road going RSi's are sold in Europe and in Japan.

In 2001 Matthew Coleman and Tim Leahey will drive front wheel drive RSi's in Group B of the Australian GTP series. VW plans to enter all wheel drive models in 2002.

VW RSi: loa 4081mm, w 1770mm, h 1450mm, wb 2500mm, weight 1170kg, 2800cc V6 4-valves/cyl, ULP+ 98 octane, 150kW at 6800rpm, 270Nm, 6-speed manual gearbox, 235/625x18 tyres, airbag, roll cage.

2000: VW showed a Beetle RSi at the Geneva Motor Show with a 3.2 litre V6 engine, 6-speed manual gearbox and "4motion" four wheel drive system. If it looks like an Audi TT with roof, and (now) goes like a TT (or better), is it an Audi TT? The RSi could go on sale in Europe ~2001.

VW are also experimenting with a light-duty offroad 4WD Beetle, the "Dune".

2000: From a rational point of view, the new VW Beetle is a VW Golf with less interior room, e.g. you have 2-door inconvenience to get into the rear seats which have limited head room. From a romantic point of view, this is the reborn love bug, Herbie II. Strange to say, most people seem to be romantics in its presence. Priced from au$37K (2000), this is an expensive small car, hoping to become a cult icon - it has a very ordinary engine, although it does come with airbags, ABS brakes, air-conditioning etc..
- 4wd.sofcom.com/4WD.html

sedan, 4 (or 2+2 ?) seats, 2-doors, airbags, ABS
loa: 4081mm, width: 1724mm, height: 1498mm
wheelbase: 2510mm , track: xxx/xxx, grnd clearance: xxx -->
weight: 1230kg (unladen)
1984cc, petrol, 4-cyls, mpfi, 2-valves/cyl, sohc LI>bore: xxx, stroke: xxx, c.r.: xxx -->
power: 85kW at 5200rpm, torque: 170Nm at 2400rpm
transmission: 5m/4a, front wheel drive
suspension: MacPherson strut / torsion beam, brakes: disc/disc
tyres: 205/55x16, fuel-tank: 55L
prices: from $36,990, auto +$2.2K [$au, 2000]

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