Who would have thought that a Beetle could feed a Porsche with dust?

Certainly not the driver. In an E.T. which was held in Santa Pod, many people were shocked to witness a 42-year-old Beetle complete with VW parts, as it went in 10.88 seconds at 128 mph. The Beetle swiftly delivered this E.T. result, completing one fourth of the mile in Santa Pod, where the E.T. was being held.

Its golden body paint is probably made for the win. But the highlight of this win became more controversial since the Beetle raised its VW parts to glory as it trashed a Porsche 997 Carrera S! Imagine that, it may sound like a movie plot about good guys winning over the flamboyant mean ones, but only this time, it happened for real! Proud as he was for this win, owner Martin Greaves could not believe it himself.

“I am delighted. After achieving the 10.88 seconds in the morning, I told the owner of the Porsche that he should race me. I said I thought it would be close, but that he was going to win because my car’s only a Beetle!” Greaves said in an interview by Carpages UK. The showdown began and ended when the Beetle cut through the track with an E.T. of 11.04 seconds with a terminal speed of 129.77 mph, leaving the porsche’s 13.18 seconds in E.T., and a terminal speed of 113.03 mph.

The Beetle is tricked out with a 2276cc engine which is geared with a 650cfm Holley and Turbo Dynamics. Turbo Dynamics became the fairy godmother for this enchanting win. They “modified and blueprinted” the Beetle’s TO4B turbo, helping it to achieve a spot in the magical 10-second bracket. With this, winning pilot Greaves only have good praises for his fairy godmothers. “Turbo Dynamics have been professional with friendly help,” he said in the Carpages UK article.

Amazingly, this testifies the real power that the People’s car has over those supercars.

Source: Carpages.com

From the home of the VW parts, the biggest indoor soccer contest will be bearing the Volkswagen badge. The Volkswagen United Masters, a tournament that will be held in 35 towns and cities, will kick off in Germany next spring. About 35,000 players were said to participate in the said event. In line with this, Volkswagen will be producing special edition “United” cars such as the New Beetle, the Polo, Golf, Jetta, Touran, and the Sharan. A “United” logo will be seen on the side section of each car’s rear. The VW parts of these cars were not changed much, but there are tons of added helpful devices. For instance, the new “Surprise” design will be seen in the middle sections of the seats. Also, these cars come with sporty car accessories—a Nike football, sports bag, and a towel.

The United models are available now. They can be powered by either a diesel or a petrol engine, and the Golf and the Touran comes with a double-clutch gearbox. Price list includes 14,275 euros for the Polo, 18,525 euros for the Golf, 20,475 euros for the New Beetle, etc. Excited Volkswagen and soccer enthusiasts are up and ready to line up for the United cars. So if you want one, you better fly off to Germany now and avail of it.

Source: Autospectator

Volkswagen is said to be cooking up plans for the next generation of the New Beetle, including a Roadster version which was said to be due by 2012. This good news erased all hypotheses that the makers of VW parts will kill the New Beetle’s production. This report is according to Germany’s auto-motor-sport magazine, but a Volkswagen spokesman described the magazine’s report as only a “speculation”. Hm… Could Volkswagen be bluffing, and keeping the project as a secret first?

According to the magazine, the Roadster version of the New Beetle will replace both the closed and the convertible models of the New Beetle. They even said that the German makers of VW parts were inspired by the concept of the two-seater “Ragster”, which is how they will go about the next-generation New Beetle. The Roadster was said to bear a 3.2-liter V6 engine which makes 206 horsepower. It comes with a brake system that uses the brake-regeneration technology to answer the issues on fuel economy. At the same time, Volkswagen was said to end the production of the Eos convertible.

This news is exciting, but then the excitement gets killed as Volkswagen continues to deny what the magazine reported. As for Beetle lovers out there, let us just keep our fingers crossed that this German magazine is telling the truth.

Source:  Earthtimes.com

From Google’s ever-expanding ways to help people (the lazy ones who heavily rely on the internet, that is), they bring us the Google Street View. But with those very intensive shots, did you know that a Volkswagen Beetle is one of the cars that are responsible for creating these images? Yes, the flag-bearer of the VW parts is indeed chosen to be modified for some street-picture-tripping. Popular Mechanics took a ride at how this went, and they hopped onto the “Immersive Media VW Beetle” to see how it works its magic.

There is a $45,000 Dodeca 2360 video camera atop the Beetle’s roof. This wonder camera works 11 lenses which record a 360 degree field of view at 30 frames per second. (The film Exorcist suddenly gets into my head by explaining that, reminding me of the scene where the girl’s head made a 360 degree-turn. I guess that is how this camera works.) With that span of time, 200 miles of city scenes per day were recorded. Now that is pretty amazing. The VW parts of the Beetle were like given an overhaul—the whole back seat and front passenger seat is occupied by all the gadgets that the camera needs. Impressively, it is controlled by an “off-the-shelf Logitech game controller”. The softball-sized video camera is now considered as a revolutionary tool, especially for making Street View Map possible.

The hi-tech Beetle is being driven by Kevin Nanzer, 23, a “geoimmersive data producer for Immersive Media”. He specializes mainly on spherical video—a technology that has been known to support Google advocacies like Google earth, etc. Nanzer, together with a co-worker, traverse through the streets of the country in order to get these shots.

“By the end, you’ll get to know the city better than the one you grew up in,” he says in an interview by Popular Mechanics. “You can call me if you’re lost in Oklahoma City, and I can tell you how to get somewhere. I know all the streets.”

This teched-out Volkswagen Beetle is just one out of the six cars in the States which drive around for the same purpose. The Beetle has definitely seen it all—from Hitler’s dictatorship to this modern age of video capturing—and they will last to see more.

Source: Popular Mechanics

Macgamestore.com expanded its list of Mac game titles, coming up with the Colin McRae Rally. This game features 30 cars including two vehicles that showcase the VW parts—the Volkswagen Golf MK5, and a Beetle RSi! The game contains 300 stages in nine settings. The tracks simulate an international location, and even the road’s physical attributes vary. It uses the need for the gamer to apply real car handling physics. This game will give you just the right hint of the real rally driving. But in order to experience this game, you gotta be a Mac user first. Your system must have a Mac OS x 10.4 (or higher), 512 MB RAM, 4 GB of free hard disk space, DVD drive, with accelerated hardware 3D graphics card with a 64 MB VRAM. (Whew! Computer Geeky stuff makes me pant!)

Aside from the two VW parts-donning vehicles mentioned, other cars to look out for include a Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, Alfa Romeo 147 GTA, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII, a Peugeot 206 and more. According to insidemacgames.com, “the core of the game is the non-linear, multi-discipline Career Challenge. Start out in the lower leagues of club rallying and learn your craft in over 20 different classes of rally events. Drive the most diverse selection of cars through more than 300 tracks in 9 worldwide locations.”

Who wants to see a decked-out Beetle RSi? We all do, that’s for sure. But if we all don’t have a chance of getting close to one, or even see one, the Colin McRae Rally game is probably the best way to go.

Source: insidemacgames

The Baja race is one off-road event that car enthusiasts are definitely watching out for. Held every fall at Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, this race is where motorcycles, old Beetles, dune buggies, trucks, or even custom-made race vehicles go for the dirt. For this year’s race though, one team from San Jose California has been filling the Baja buzzwires. Tagged as team Desert Dingo, they upgraded the VW parts of one beat-up ’69 Beetle and entered it for the Stock VW category. The race kicked off last Sunday, and team Desert Dingo is one determined team to make their VW Beetle see through the race with flying colors.

Amazingly, the team managed to equip the Beetle with satellite phones and multiple GPS receivers. They also replaced some of its VW parts with new ones, installing a more powerful engine and tighter suspension system. This bug is now truly ready to take on any desert, or off-road course. They will be updating their roundabouts during the course of the 2,100 kilometer race through Twitter.

The team’s creativity is not only reflected on how they turned this old Beetle into a mean machine. They also showed real team spirit and camaraderie by being loyal to the Beetle. Let us just hope that their enthusiasm will be enough to carry them across the race.

In Port Charlotte, this Beetle is more than just another advertising gimmick. It dramatically became the symbol for a need to change their town’s code.

The Dawg House is a restaurant which specializes in—what else?—hotdogs. They serve fresh ways to cook ‘em, top ‘em, and the taste is great and all. But the problem is, the restaurant sits in a “tucked-away place”, according to a report by Herald Tribune. Hence, owner LeRoy Davidson modified the VW parts of this 1967 Beetle to make it a very effective tool for advertising. He parks the car outside along the main road, which eventually draws people to come to his restaurant. Without the car, sales will roll down a $400 difference.

Hence, Davidson customized these VW parts and added a red beam to make the Beetle look like it ran over a hotdog. A cute, Scooby-Doo-ish canine is illustrated at both sides, and the name of the restaurant is displayed. Problem arises when Charlotte County code compliance officer Tom Gravagna notes this as a violation of the code. Their town’s code requires them to park any means of advertisement near the business. This is similar to saying that attracting many customers this way is illegal. This, however, is not the end of it. Restaurant owner Davidson aims to change the code of their County… because it is the only way that they could park the Beetle outside.

As long as the Dawg Beetle is parked outside, it will serve as a note to everyone that not all implementations will stay as effective as before.

Story and Photo Source: Herald Tribune

The 22-year old Emily Holben is not just any Beetle Lover. She has been so keen and focused on her goal to have a pink Bug that she had to make it out of an old, beat-up 1970 Beetle. Read that? She. Made. One.

This is not an exaggerated tale of how this persevering advertising student at UNL made a Beetle with her bare hands. It is a tale of dedication, hard work, and a matter of aiming for your goal. The story began when her father, Steve Holben, bought a 1970 Beetle for only $200. At that time, all its VW parts are screaming for replacement already, so Emily and her father got to working. Emily was quoted by the Nebraska News as she reminisced, “The floor was all rusted, there was household carpet in it and the outside was spray-painted what I would call Dr Pepper red.”

Emily and her father basically had to strip off everything so that they could start creating her dream Bug. They then had to order original VW parts from the carmaker’s home in Germany, but had a lot of difficulty with the instructions. When they managed to get through with it, several years have passed before Emily could finally take her Beetle down the road. But that was not just the goal. She had bravely stood up against decked-out muscle cars in many car shows too before people took her pink Bug seriously. By then, Emily’s ultimate dream car was not only accomplished by her own dedication, but it also garnered admiration from people.

So the next time you bump into a pink car-driving lady, never underestimate her choice for being too “girly”, then think again. She might happen to know more about adding horsepower with a Volkswagen cold air intake than you do.

Story and Photo Source: News Net Nebraska

Hailing from Milford, Boston; the Geek Squad is here! Escorted by the VW parts of the New Beetle, these guys are definitely no-nonsense techies-turned-pop icons of our new generation. Why? Not only do they fix all of your technical problems, but they make it possible for us to ride along with the evolution of gadgetry. The Geek Squad is Best Buy’s in-house technical support unit. This job is definitely no piece of cake, as only a few privileged guys can pull it off. As for the added perks, well, they get to enjoy the latest, freshest gadgets—and they get to enjoy this decked out New Beetle for home service cases.

At first glance, this Bug may seem to be a police car with its two-toned black and white body. But upon seeing the Geek Squad logo spelled at both doors, you just know that this car means business. Not much modification was made to its VW parts though. Its notable Volkswagen wheel is a bit spruced up compared to the usual ones that come with the New Beetle, easily complementing the Volkswagen hubcaps. But what alights this Beetle makes the car valuable—black-tied men with that knowing but friendly smile on their faces ready to help you solve even the tiniest problem on your video card. So for any technical problem at all, Best Buy has a solution for you. They not only gave you a great bargain, but the service too is superb. Just look at the Geek Squad and you’ll know.

Source: Boston.com

Quentin Tarantino is known for his cult-classic B movies. This Bee Movie however, is definitely not with the Tarantino-mark of gore and Asian Kung Fu. This one is different. It is a kid-friendly animated film about—yep, Bees. Its Los Angeles premiere held last October 28 was “swarmed” with “Bee”tles. But, the spectators and press got a taste of the surprise that Volkswagen of America and the movie has cooked up. Hence, the parade of the specially modified VW parts donned the stars behind the voices of the animated cast. This New “Bee”tle showcase became the premiere’s main attraction.

The VW parts of these Beetles were turned into a Bee, with its cute yellow and black body paint, the antennas atop the roof, the headlights-turned-bee eyes up to its cute Volkswagen hubcaps. Everything was harmonized to create that Bee appeal among the crowd. Stars such as Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger (in photo), Ray Liotta, and directors Steve Hickner and Simon J. Smith arrived at the red carpet in these “stingy” cool rides. They even wore color-coordinated outfits—either black or yellow—to match the occasion.

For all of you who keep on believing in animated films and the magic that they bring, this movie is a must-add to your list. This film will definitely make a buzz at the box office, and leave that noise inside every Beetle lover’s heart—thanks to this wonderful “Bee”tle concept.