The VW Beetle is, in itself, a retro-inspired car and makes no apologies for it. Thus resurrecting das Gelb Schwarzer Renner, German for “Yellow/Black Racer”, GSR for short, that debuted 40 years ago as the sportiest Beetle of all times is quite understandable.
Like its grandfather, the new GSR that was will be revealed at the Chicago Auto Show today sports a yellow/black paint scheme (a platinum/grey paint is also available) and will be made in the same numbers: just 3,500 cars worldwide to be delivered from autumn, though its €30,000 (US$40,700) price in Germany is far from old-school…
Apart from the looks, there’s nothing old-school about the new Beetle GSR, though. In 1973, the 1303S-based GSR had an output of just 50 PS (49HP) and rolled on 15-inch steel wheels wrapped in 175 mm-wide tires. Today’s car sports 208HP (210 PS), a six-speed manual or dual-clutch DSG gearbox and “Tornado” 19-inch alloys with 235/40 rubber.
It accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.3 seconds and tops out at 130 mph (239 km/h). Its maximum torque of 280 Nm (206.5 lb-ft) is available from as low as 1,700 rpm and, according to VW its average consumption is 7.3 lt/100 km (32.2 mpg US).
By Andrew Tsaousis
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