A race-prepared new-generation Volkswagen Beetle has been unveiled ahead of the 2015 Milltek Racing Volkswagen Cup.
The car and its 2-litre turbo unit has been built by Brooklands Garage, and will act as a direct replacement for the old-generation Beetle, which managed to amaze a total of five championship titles between 2001 and 2011, despite being less competitive in recent years against the likes of Sciroccos and Golfs.
Andrew Smith, who helped build and will pilot the Beetle in its maiden season of competition, hopes he can restore the Beetle back towards the front of the grid. “We are pleased to be bringing something new to the championship and hopefully it will be a competitive car.
“Underneath the bodywork it’s pretty much the same basic platform as the Golf and the Scirocco. The chief differences are in the suspension. We’ll be running the TSI turbo engine, which puts out the same sort of power and torque as the TFSI engines the other cars are using, so we should be pretty much on par in terms of performance.”
Championship manager Matthew Walker also hailed the new-for-2015 Beetle’s entry into the series. “The Volkswagen Racing Cup has always encouraged diversity and in previous seasons we have had the Bora, Polo, Vento, Lupo, Jetta, Beetle and even the Caddy van up against Scirocco and Golf, so it is great to see the Beetle making a return.
“Hopefully it will be successful and the first of many on the grid.”
