Volkswagen’s new bug doesn’t get much respect. This is especially true of the extremely cute and bubbly first generation, but there is one Beetle of this generation that deserves all the respect, and that is the Beetle RSi.
In case you lost it:
If you’re not familiar with the Beetle RSi, that’s understandable. VW only makes 250 units worldwide, and while that sounds like the recipe for a sweetly similar special, the RSi isn’t synonymous with anything. Instead, the RSi is a limited production prototype for MkIV Golf R32. The R32’s VR6 engine first appeared in the RSi. So does the Haldex-based all-wheel drive system, and it will continue to evolve from there.
So the headline specs for the Beetle RSi are as follows: 221 hp, 6-speed manual transmission with very short shift lever, fixed-back Recaro bucket seats, standard Remus dual exhaust system, body kit wide, a huge spoiler at the rear, some OZ Superturismo dope wheels and info around the campfire is that Porsche has handled the RSi’s suspension tuning.
During the car’s production from 2001 to 2003, it sold for $80,000, the equivalent of about $138,000 today. That’s obviously not a huge change, but the RSi isn’t a car. Instead, it’s a great example of Volkswagen at its weird, wild heights of power, and it makes the series of boring box crossovers we get from the brand today seem even more so. sadder.
So let’s pour a glass for the most hideous Beetle the factory has ever produced, and one we’ll never see again.
