ABT Sportsline shows us a modern day VW Beetle

Any person you ask about a Volkswagen Beetle can probably distinguish it from a lineup, and that is because this car has been very popular worldwide and has been around for a very long time now. Well, one thing we also know about it is that the VW will not produce a new model anytime soon, and this is why German tuner ABT Sportsline is showing us that there still is life in the aging vehicle. You might think that is just a show car, but the special Beetle Convertible is actually a commission by a managing director of a medium sized company.

Let us first talk about the droptop vehicle’s exterior, as it features a bronze wrap with a slightly matte finish that is complemented with the black logos. It then sits on a set of 19 inch wheels with five sets of double spokes and what the firm refers to as a silver bullet finish.

Because the Beetle is quite an old model, we won’t expect it to have a super powerful engine. This is why Abt decided to install engine upgrades that pushes the 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder’s output to 286 horsepower (213 kilowatts) instead of the standard 217 horsepower (162 kilowatts). Along with the engine upgrade is a brake upgrade that includes six piston calipers and 14.57 inch (370 millimeter) rotors. The overall ride height has been lowered as well because of the new springs.

Inside the cabin of this Abt-modified Beetle Convertible, you will instantly notice a lot of new upgrades. The company covers the dashboard, portions of the center stack, and door panels with black leather, it even upholsters the door handles, pillars and the sun visors. The seats then feature attractive diamond stitching. To finish this off, the cabin is contrasted with carbon fiber for a sporty touch.

Going back to the regular Beetle, Volkswagen still plans to continue production of the said model, retaining its original build and specs. However, there won’t be a new model in the foreseeable future. The model’s popularity has dipped significantly in recent years, especially in the United States. This can be proven by the sales figured from last year, delivering 15,166 units for the entire year, which is down by 3.2 percent from 2016. Through April 2018, the automaker has only delivered 5,347 of them, a 1.1 percent year over year drop.

Speaking of the Beetle, rumours about the revival of the Beetle’s round shape have been going around, and it will supposed to come in a few years as a fully electric vehicle. The automaker has plans to take inspiration from the Type 2 van with the upcoming production version of the I.D. Buzz.

PRESS RELEASE

ABT Sportsline 2018 – press release CW18 A unique Beetle – ABT Individual presents one-of-a-kind vehicle

With 350,000 species, beetles are the worldwide largest order of insects. ABT Sportsline from Germany also ensures almost unlimited variety when it comes to the automotive counterpart – the Volkswagen Beetle. And not only there: on request, the dedicated ABT Individual department can turn any car from the Volkswagen and Audi Group into a “solitaire”. “We can offer anyone who is looking for a unique car away from the mainstream a one-of-a-kind solution that cannot be provided with tuning from a catalog,” explains CEO Hans-Jürgen Abt. It is not just about differentiation, but also about implementing personal color and material preferences which were not intended by the original car designers. After all, it is unavoidable to limit the range for standard products at a certain point. “A car from ABT Individual is obvious at first glance – or not,” Abt continues: “Some customers want cars where everyone immediately reaches for their smartphone camera when they see it. Others again enjoy details that nobody else will notice. Our customers have very different characters, which makes this type of project so interesting.”

One of the latest projects – a VW Beetle convertible – was designed and rebuilt for the managing director of a medium-size company. The car has a full film wrap in a subdued shade of bronze and is elegantly understated. The different nature becomes obvious primarily in the “undertones”, such as brand logos painted black. Another distinctive detail are the 19” wheels of type ABT ER-C which ABT Individual specially painted in a silver-bullet shade. As a standard, the attractive wheel for the Beetle is supplied only in gun-metal or matt black. Thanks to the open design, the 6-piston brake calipers and the 370 x 35 mm brake discs of the ABT sport brake system are well visible on the front axle. The ABT Power boost provides an impressive 290 HP (213 kW) where the production model only has 220 HP (162 kW). At the same time, the maximum torque increased to 430 Nm – 80 Nm more than the series engine can provide.

But the true highlights of the conversion only become evident when sitting in the car or when the top is down: the extensive saddler’s craft work in the interior. Where the original is dominated by dark plastic, this model is a dream in leather and carbon. ABT used elegant leather to cover the dashboard, its substructure, the console for the auxiliary instruments and the door center parts including the arm rests from front to rear. Finest leather also adorns the door handles, the inside of the roof pillars, the sun blinds and entrance areas as well as the column, wheel and airbag of the steering wheel assembly. To satisfy the sporty character of this unique beetle, the ABT Individual team also covered all black plastic panels on the interior with real carbon. Overall, all conversions are of the highest grade. Only the suspension is “low” – thanks to carefully set up ABT suspension springs. The leading tuner for Volkswagen and Audi shows that, despite the size of the company, detail work can be very individual