Company Launches CD with Original Volkswagen Beetle Sounds

It may be too late for Father’s Day, but there’s nothing stopping you from picking up The Beetles: Greatest Sounds of the ‘60s and ‘70s for dad as a very early Christmas present.

Not to be confused with The Beatles, a little known British band that has all but faded into obscurity, The Beetles is a CD of car sounds dating from 1960 to 1978. And not just any car sounds: Volkswagen Beetle car sounds…

Yes, you can now rock out to such timeless classics as “Gears 1 - 2”, “Long Idle” and “Turn-Off, Handbrake”. With 30 tracks (well, 10 tracks spread across 3 different engines), your dad will be over the moon will this mass produced one-of-a-kind CD.

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IAA 2011: Volkswagen Pays Tribute to Fender with New Beetle Concept

The high-performance Beetle R Concept was joined at VW's Frankfurt Motor Show stage by a second conceptual study that pays tribute to famed U.S.-based music instrument manufacturer, Fender.

Mimicking the styling used on an electric guitar customized by Volkswagen Design, the Fender Telecaster, the bespoke Beetle study is painted in a high-gloss "Black" finish with a fine red line framing the side windows.

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IAA 2011: Volkswagen Beetle R Concept Hints at 260HP+ Production Model

Ever since it became known that Volkswagen was developing the new generation of the Beetle, there were rumors about a high-performance variant wearing the 'R' badge. Earlier this year, the German company introduced the production model but the most powerful version was fitted with a 2.0-liter TSI producing 200-horses. Fast but not fast enough.

However, this may soon change as Volkswagen is giving us the clearest indication of its future plans yet with the unveiling of the new Beetle R Concept at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Beginning with the exterior, the Beetle R Concept sports a subtly aggressive design with newly sculpted bumpers that were widened by 30 mm, and blistered wheel arches widened by 15mm per side that house massive 20-inch wheels in the same “Talladega” design found on the Golf R and Scirocco R models.

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Britons Vote Ford Mustang as the World’s Manliest Car

Bluebeards Revenge is a UK brand of shaving cream and post-shave balm scientifically proven by Science™ [sic…] to reduce beard growth- or so it says on their webpage. The brand recently conducted an email poll of 1,835 Britons, asking them to rate the world’s “manliest” and “least manly” cars.

The results are in, and –drumbeat please- the winner is the Ford Mustang that was found to be the “manliest car on the planet” with a net total of 21% of the vote.

Runners up were the Aston Martin DB7 (15%), Range Rover (13%), Dodge Viper (11%) and Hummer H1 (10%). On the opposite end of the spectrum – the world’s “least manly” cars – were the Volkswagen Beetle (31%), Mazda Miata / MX-5 (20%), Ford Ka (11%), Toyota Prius (9%) and Nissan Cube (8%).

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VW Accessories Commercial Welcomes the New Beetle to the 21st Century

Volkswagen's new/old approach to the second generation of the New Beetle (not counting the original Bug), continues with this latest commercial that promotes the available customization options from its Accessories division.

The setup is fairly futuristic with the owner of the 21st century Beetle fiddling around with a virtual configurator that features a laser-like interface to build the car of his dreams.

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VW Bulli as a Microbus Successor

VW management is “very seriously” considering a plan to put the Bulli concept MPV into production according to media reports. The Bulli was launched at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show as a study about a modern, eco-friendly replacement of the iconic Microbus of the ‘60s.

Initially there was no intention to produce the Bulli, but the public’s positive reaction to the concept study has made VW reconsider.

After all, along with models such as the Beetle, the microbus concept is part of VW’s heritage. And at a time when the competition is particularly fierce, the Wolfsburg-based carmaker is thinking about placing its rich heritage to good use.

If the Bulli project receives gets the green light, it will be built at VW’s Puebla plant in Mexico alongside the brand-new Beetle with which it will share its platform architecture. The choice of Puebla makes perfect sense, since the majority of Bulli’s production would be directed to the US market where the original Microbus was most popular.

The Bulli concept is a small, five-seat MPV measuring 3.99 m in length, 1.75 m in width and 1.70 m tall, with 2.62 m long wheelbase.

VW Group’s head of design, Walter da Silva, recently told Autocar magazine that the company is positive about producing the Bulli: “We don’t have space for another MPV, but as a designer I am convinced by this idea. This one would be desirable on a different level, combining practicality with heritage appeal”.

The study that VW presented in Geneva was a pure electric vehicle with a 40 Kw lithium-ion battery that can be charged in less than an hour at a charging station. The electric motor produces 85 Kw (114HP) and 270 Nm (199 lb-f) of torque. If deemed necessary, the Bulli can also incorporate a gasoline or diesel range extender internal combustion engine.

As a pure EV, its maximum range is 185 miles (300 km), it accelerates from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in a brisk 11.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 87 mph (140 km/h).

If it finally gets the go-ahead, it could go on sale as early as 2014.

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Volkswagen Beetle Limited Run Black Edition Photos

New Cars, Reports, VW, VW Beetle,

As the name suggests, the first 2012 Beetle available for pre-order is based on the 2.0L TSI model fitted with a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine pumping out 200-horsepower and 207 lb-ft. of torque, coupled to a standard dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Only 600 examples will be built, all finished in an exclusive black pearl paint with gray Turbo decals on the side. Other standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, beefed up brakes with red calipers, a “kaeferfach” additional glovebox that is similar to that of the original Beetle, sport cloth seating surfaces, foglights, and alloy pedals. Bluetooth technology, iPod connectivity, three-color ambient lighting and an RCD 310 sound system with eight speakers are also offered as standard.

Pricing for the 2012 Beetle Black Turbo Edition is set at $24,950 plus a $770 delivery charge. Volkswagen asks potential buyers to pay a $495 reservation fee that goes towards the final purchase of the car, with the company promising a “no hassle” refund policy for those that change their mind down the road.

Once the car goes on sale this fall, U.S. customers will also be able to purchase the 170HP 2.5-liter model at a starting MSRP of $19,765, the standard 200HP 2.0 TSI version priced from $24,165 and the 140HP 2.0-liter diesel model, the price of which has not yet been announced.

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It Came from eBay Hell: Thunder Ranch Riot with Scat Crate Engine

If Geo had asked Isuzu to design them a car that would appeal to California’s surfer crowd in the mid-1990s, chances are it’d look a lot like the Thunder Ranch Riot. A fibreglass bodied, Volkswagen Beetle-based turnkey kit car, the Riot looks like a Geo Storm that’s been cut, shut and had Dodge Viper parts tacked on to its exterior. And it can be all yours for the low, low price of US$12,000.

Assembled over two years starting in 2007, this particular example has the floor plan from a 1972 Bug. It’s since been retrofitted with a Scat crate engine, customer paint, front disc brakes, CD player and wood grain dashboard.

In all fairness, this particular Riot appears to be well built and well looked after by its current owner. That’s more than we can say for some of the cars we’ve featured previously on the site. You can check out our full gallery and leave a comment below if you wish.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: eBay

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