Volkswagen unveiled their plans to bring a 560-hp Beetle racer to the 2014 Global Rallycross stage. The announcement came at this week’s Chicago Auto Show . Powered by the team of Andretti Autosport, Volkswagen will actually enter two of the juiced up bugs in what is becoming one of the largest world racing events.
Volkswagen’s Rallycross Beetle racer will feature a whopping 560-hp pouring out of the little car. Skeptical that the little Beetle can push out that much horsepower? Over the last few years, VW has made a push to supercharge their car that celebrated 75 years in 2013. And last year, popular BBC motor head show TopGear featured the VWVortex ‘Superbeetle’. That sporty version of the popular car boasted an astonishing 500-hp.
Now, Andretti Autosport is bringing the race team of Tanner Foust and Scott Speed (top ten cool racer names) to Volkswagen. The German automobile producer is entering into the field of Global Rallycross for the first time this year and they are doing it with a killer team.
Tanner Foust will drive one of the 560-hp Beetle cars. Foust was the winner of both the 2011 and 2012 Global Rallycross. He comes to the team after driving a Ford Fiesta. He will be behind the wheel of a Rockstar sponsored version. Scott Speed is a former formula one and NASCAR driver who will be behind the wheel of a 7up sponsored punch buggy.
We’re excited to welcome @TannerFoust & @scottspeed to the Andretti family! What do you all think of the Beetle? pic.twitter.com/VPvkaf5jDm
— Andretti Autosport (@FollowAndretti) February 6, 2014
Volkswagen has had rallycross success in the recent past. Last year they won the World Rally Championship on the back of their Polo chassis, which sported a 600-hp engine. That car will be featured the first half of the GRC season. But the team is hoping the 560-hp Beetle will be ready to go by June. The two cars are scheduled to race the second half of the season.
So why go with the Beetle in a rallycross race? According to Motortrend , VW is hoping to attract young urban millenials with their super charged Beetle’s. Their crowd has typically trended older and they want younger buyers excited about their cars. As the popularity of the rallycross sport grows, this is a calculated move to improve visibility on the car market. Of course getting their hands on anything like what Foust and Speed will be driving is near impossible.
The 560-hp VW Global Rallycross Beetle is sure to turn a few heads this year.
