King bug: 2002 Volkswagen New Beetle RSi (no. 15 of 250)
MÜHLHAUSEN, GERMANY– Limited edition, 3.2-litre V6, 4Motion all-wheel-drive, “boy racer daddy” body kit
⚑ Back when Volkswagen knew what it was doing—before diesel scandals and underbaked UX/UI systems—it moved hell and/or high water to drop the fastest-ever (New) Beetle.
In a world where Golf aficionados lust after the similarly-spec’d R32, and the Audi TT 3.2 is firmly planted in the collectible “youngtimer” category, Volkswagen’s New Beetle RSi is as close to limited edition perfection as possible.
Whereas enthusiasts expected GTI and R-spec hatchbacks from V-dub, and Audi customers demand a level of performance as standard, it takes true clarity of vision from within the company to inject 250 New Beetles with 4Motion all-wheel-drive and enough go-fast parts to keep up with a Porsche Boxster.
(Even if the MSRP ends up at twice that of its topless cousin.)
