Jay Leno, US TV star and one of the world’s greatest car collectors, became one of the first people outside Volkswagen to drive the new Beetle during a visit to the Company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, last week.
Because of his filming commitments, Leno rarely travels outside the United States so he got a sneak peek at the new Beetle only days before the world media launch in Berlin.
“To come to the place where a car is designed and developed tells you a lot about a car and the people who created it,” said Leno. “And Germany is the birthplace of the automobile, so it’s special to be here.”
Before he got to see the new Beetle he was given the keys to a 1938 version, one of the oldest drivable models in existence. “It might have just 18kW but it’s nimble and a lot of fun and really does not feel 73 years old. From many angles it feels very contemporary,” said Leno.
From the top of the Car Towers (housing over 300 new Volkswagens) is where Leno got his first glimpse of the new Beetle as a robotic lift carried it to ground level. “That’s very cool,” he said, peering down on it from over 150 metres.
“It’s certainly a Beetle,” he added upon closer inspection. “You can see the family resemblance. In fact, I think if they were designing the Beetle for the first time now it might end up looking this way.”
The version Jay drove had a 2.0 turbocharged engine, putting out 147kW – almost ten times the power of the 1938 edition and with an engine only just over double the capacity.
“It drives like you would expect a modern Volkswagen to drive. Making a modern Beetle like a 70-year-old version would not sell. The world has moved on. Like other manufacturers who have made modern versions of old cars, the DNA is there and for someone who wants a car that stands out on the road, the Beetle does that. It’s fun, it’s well-built and it’s fast too - I took this on the autobahn up to 220 km/h. No Beetle I have driven goes like that! The Beetle is one of the most famous cars of all time. It’s exciting it is still being made,” Leno concluded.
STORY BY VW
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