Tanner Foust’s awesome VW Beetle GRC rallycross machine has got a new and bigger engine for the new season, presumably because the outgoing 544 hp and 387 lb-ft 1.6 liter unit was a bit too slow for his taste. In place of that engine there is now a 2.0 liter TSI engine.
The new engine is not significantly beefier than the old one in terms of horsepower as it produces 553 hp. But it does boast a lot more torque, 465 pound-feet to be precise. That torque, combined with the GRC’s sequential six-speed transmission, with a fixed-ratio all-wheel-drive system that features multiplate limited-slip differentials at the front and rear, gives this special Beetle a serious turn of speed.
Rallycross cars are complex machines because they have to do a complex job. That is why the 2015 VW Beetle GRC is fitted with ZF dampers with about 9.5 inches of travel, 4.0-inch diameter front and 11.8-inch rear vented disc brakes, four-piston calipers, and 17-inch wheels with 240/640-R17 Yokohama. What’s more, the car features a massive aero kit consisting of a large rear wing, widebody fenders, and aggressive front fascia.
All those elements work in tandem with each other to give the Beetle GRC the ability to go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.0 seconds. They also enable the car to be insanely fast on tarmac and gravel while traveling sideways.
2015 Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship schedule:
- May 31: Ft Lauderdale, FL
- June 20: Daytona, FL (I)
- June 21: Daytona, FL (II)
- July 5: United States Military Base
- July 25: Detroit, MI (I)
- July 26: Detroit, MI (II)
- August 15: Washington, DC
- September 12: Los Angeles, CA (I)
- September 13: Los Angeles, CA (II)
- October 3: Barbados (I)
- October 4: Barbados (II)
- November 4: Las Vegas, NV
