Volkswagen has been know for their quirky support one make series both in Europe and here in the US. One of those was the New Beetle Cup that ran between 1999 and 2002 based on the RSi widebody. In typical VW fashion all the cars were painted in bright contrasting colors which made them fun to look at and easy to tell apart being a one make series. I was gifted this model from a fellow co-worker (not TFritch actually). It’s a Bburango model in 1:18 with opening doors and hood as well as decent interior detailing for the age of the model. Curiously enough, it looks like Bburango made a bunch of these is 1:24, two colors of which were also gifted to me. This was shelf displayed for some years so it took some elbow grease and plenty of Q-tips to clean it up decently for pictures, especially those pesky white wheels. I especially liked (sorry no pictures) all the air lines in the car running to the fire suppression system and air lift jacks. It fills a quirky gap on my German racing shelf and it’s already grown on me.
From VW’s Official Motorsport page:
“The New Beetle Cup continued the tradition of Volkswagen one-make cups. Between 1999 and 2002, the Volkswagen New Beetle Cup thrilled many people on the international one-make cup scene. Among other things, the racing version of the New Beetle had a 204 hp V6 engine, a six-speed sports gearbox and a Bilstein/H&R sports chassis. A roll cage, airbag, fire extinguishing system and six-point safety harness ensured maximum safety on the inside. Besides ambitious amateur drivers, a number of celebrities also lined up to compete – such as Smudo from the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. Particular highlights of the popular cups included the guest starts in the Grand Prix Air Canada in Montreal in 2000 and the American Le Mans Series at Road Atlanta (USA).”
