We’re always on the lookout for the coolest of race cars and the most unique and wildest engine combinations here at Dragzine, and when we stumbled upon this truly one-off late model Volkswagen Beetle, there was no doubt it fit the criteria for both. Of course, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that this creation hails from the country of Australia, where creativity and ingenuity still run wild in the drag racing world.

The pride of and joy of Beetle guru Rod Penrose, this is the next incarnation of his pure-bred drag racing VW’s, which has been designed and built to shatter the all-time VW elapsed time and speed records. Penrose had previously campaigned an earlier model Beetle (the more traditional model, as we like to think of them) that held the title of Australia’s quickest Beetle, garnering the record with an 8.96 in the 1/4-mile. The car was a regular sight at Aussie racing events and had a virtual cult following among VW enthusiasts. But in the drag racing game, the only way to go is up, and so Penrose set out to build a new car capable of even quicker and faster performances. The result is this late model Beetle that’s already shattered its predecessors numbers.

The world record (as of earlier this spring) stood at 7.89-seconds, with Penrose having clicked off a personal best 8.74 at 149 mph in his early outings with the car. This performance is made possible by a 3.3L Pauter engine paired with a Garrett GT51R turbocharger producing in the neighborhood of 550 rear wheel horsepower a 32 psi of boost.

Penrose relies on Turbosmart’s Hyper-Gate 45 external wastegates, and e-Boost2 boost controller, and a Race Pert blowoff valve to help control the boost in his feisty little machine, while an FPR-2000 fuel pressure regulator handles the fuel flow chores.

“We love Turbosmart products here at Rod Penrose Racing, they do exactly what they’re meant to do – help us go faster!”

For more information on Turbosmart’s extensive line of high performance products, log on to their home on the web at turbosmartusa.com.