Hitting 200+ MPH in a Ruf CTR, McLaren F1 or Bugatti Veyron: impressive, but not exactly a feat to write (ride?) home about.
Hitting that speed in a Volkswagen Beetle LSR — like Automobile Magazine’s Preston Lerner just did at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats — however: definitely a needle-moving achievement.
The record-setting run (205.122 MPH) was completed using an LSR that’d been outfitted with a turbocharged, direct-injection, four-cylinder gas engine capable of producing more than 600 HP and nearly 500 pound-feet of torque.
In addition to the modified two-liter engine, the custom yellow-and-black Beetle was equipped with a lowered suspension, special Salt Flat wheels and tires, a limited-slip differential to increase traction, and a pair of parachutes to slow it down.
“Exceeding 200 miles per hour in the Beetle LSR was a serious thrill,” Lerner said afterwards. “We had enough power to go even faster if the salt hadn’t been so sketchy. But seeing 208 miles per hour briefly on the digital readout was an experience I’ll never forget.”
Sounds like he’s got the bug.
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