The annual World of Speed event on the Great Salt Lake in Bonneville, Utah, attracts all types. Hotrods. Motorbikes. Musclecars. Volkswagen Beetles. Yeah, you read right. This year one of the stars of this salty high-speed show was a bugged out New New Volkswagen Beetle. Usually the darling of spray-tanned cougars raging on a dangerous cocktail of antidepressants and self-reinvention, this unlikely boulevard cruiser stirred up a shitstorm of media hype after it clocked 328. 195 km/h over a distance of one mile.
Pimped to the nines this so-called Beetle LSR (Land Speed Record) achieved this impressive figure courtesy a special 2.0-litre TSI engine fitted with a new turbocharger, different pistons, camshafts, connecting rods and various cylinder head modifications. A limited-slip differential provided the necessary traction while two parachutes provided the retardation. This achievement smashes the previous World's Fastest Beetle record set back in 2011 when Top Gear dropped an older air-cooled version from a helicopter. Before it hit the ground it clocked 201. 168 km/h in a terminal velocity free fall.
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