Widebody Volkswagen Beetle by RWB And Tanner Foust Unveiled At SEMA 2014

Rauh-Welt Begriff or known as RWB is a famous Japanese tuner specialised in creating widebody versions of classic Porsche 911s. Recently, they had revealed their latest creation at SEMA 2014 which surprisingly is not based on a classic Porsche 911 but a 2014 Volkswagen Beetle R-Line, a car which also shares the sames roots as the Porsche 911. Created by RWB with help from Tanner Foust, the orange RWB Volkswagen Beetle features the iconic RWB widebody body as found on the RWB Porsche 911s alongside other famous RWB touches such as the Motegi Racing Traklite deep dish rims, the word ‘ Idlers’ written in white on the tire sidewall, and the ‘Rauh-Welt’ name on the front windsheild. The Tanner Foust brand logo is also found on the hood. However, instead of having the extended wheel arches riveted onto the original wheel arch like the other RWB Porsche 911s, the RWB Volkswagen Beetle’s wheel arches are simply replaced with new wider ones. “Many Porsche owners like the Beetle. The Beetle is a very good car and it looks like a Porsche a little bit,” said RAUH-Welt Begriff’s Akira Nakai. “It is similar, but a Beetle is not a Porsche, so we made a completely new design for this Beetle.” Since this RWB Volkswagen Beetle is based on an R-Line model, the interior also features R-Line upgrades such as the shift knob and pedals. RWB also quotes that “further performance upgrades are in development for the future.”

Photos via Rauh-Welt Begriff RWB.

World’s Greatest Drag Race 4

Once in a while, Motor Trend Magazine will gather up some of the best new performance cars on an airfield and conduct a drag race in them to find out how they compare in a straight line. For their latest race, they had all 10 contenders from Motor Trend’s 2014 Best Driver’s Car which includes the Alfa Romeo 4C, BMW i8, BMW M4, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Ford Fiesta ST, Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, Nissan GT-R Nismo, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Subaru WRX STI & Volkswagen Golf GTI lined up on an abandoned airstrip at El Toro Marine Base to find out which car is the fastest. Which is the fastest? Watch the video below to find out.

Photo via Motor Trend Magazine.

World’s First Ferrari LaFerrari Crash In Monaco

This is the world’s first crash involving a Ferrari LaFerrari. The bright red LaFerrari collided heads-on with a Mk6 Volkswagen Golf in Monaco. Both cars suffered damages on the front end but it appears that none of the occupants of both cars were injured. More pictures below.

Photos via Grand-Est-Supercars.com.

Mk7 Volkswagen Golf R At Sepang International Circuit

So me, the editor won a session to test out the new Mk7 Volkswagen Golf R at Sepang International Circuit courtesy of Volkswagen Malaysia through the “R” Challenge organised by Volkswagen Malaysia‘s Facebook page. As a hot hatch lover and a fan of the Golf R, how could I say no? My slot was on the 17th of June at noon. Upon arrival, all the participants were greeted by a lovely lunch before gathering for a brief introduction on the new Golf R. The participants were then divided into a few groups where each group will then take turns to complete a few courses using different versions of the Golf. I joined the group which gets to test out the Golf R first, so off to the racetrack we went.

We were given a few laps on the northern loop of the Sepang International Circuit. The instructor (White Scirocco R) leads the pack with close guidance through the walkie talkies as we pound around Sepang in the Golf R.

The Mk7 Golf R is no slouch. We saw 210km/h on Sepang’s straight without even pushing too hard. (A 991 Porsche 911 GT3 does about 250km/h here by contrast.)

Breaking the traction with a Jetta on slippery floor, stimulating driving conditions in rain or snow.

Zigzag between the cones at The Slalom with the Golf 1.4 TSI.

High speed maneuvering and emergency braking test with the Golf GTI.

Final activity of the day, hitching a ‘Taxi Ride’ around the circuit with the instructors in the Golf R.

Before leaving, all the participants were treated with a refreshing afternoon tea. To sum it up, the Golf range are amazing to drive but the Golf R shines in a class of its own. Even in my amateur hands, it flew around the racetrack while pampering its occupants in great comfort. Thank you Volkswagen Malaysia for the amazing day!

More pictures below:

 

Hear the Volkswagen Golf R400 Concept Growl

Viennasupercars recently spotted the Volkswagen Golf R400 Concept and recorded the process of it being started up and growling as it was being loaded into a trailer. Created by Volkswagen R GmbH, the Golf R400 Concept shares the same EA888 2.0 engine as the Golf R, but pumps out 400 hp and 450 Nm of torque from 2,400 to 6,000 rpm with the aid of  new turbocharger with a higher maximum charge pressure as well as a reinforced crankcase. Power is channeled to all four wheels through a six-speed DSG gearbox and the same 4MOTION four-wheel drive system found in the Golf R. 0-100km/h could be achieved in 3.9 seconds and the car will keep going until it reaches an electronically limited 174 mph. Despite a wider body of 20mm, the Golf R400 Concept weights the same as a Golf R at 1,420kg. Volkswagen confirmed that the Golf R400 Concept will go into production but did not mention when will it be. More updates soon.

Watch the video here.