When the Beetle annoys in the fast lane
09/29/2022
The driver in the fast Audi is already preemptively annoyed. He has long since spotted the sign with the diagonal black bar indicating that the 80 km/h limit has been lifted. But now this old Beetle with the oval rear window is standing in his way in the fast lane so that he can use his acceleration skills to finally drive freely. He already has his hand on the blinker lever so that he can activate the headlight flasher at the next opportunity.
But what is that? The Beetle seems to shoot off as if stung by a tarantula, accelerating rapidly to 160 km/h. The Audi driver can hardly keep up, this Beetle accelerates so fast. Surely it can't be just 30 DIN horsepower that's propelling the rear of this Beetle?
Of course, the Audi driver is right, because he is driving behind the Mille Miglia Beetle from Volkswagen Classic. Although the '56 Ovali is not an original, the car has been faithfully modeled on the Beetle in which 26-year-old Paul Ernst Strähle competed in the 1954 edition of the Mille Miglia and upset the Ferrari 375 MM, at least a little.
The four-cylinder engine from the Porsche 356 sits in the rear of the 1956 Beetle. It is said to produce 75 hp, perhaps a few more. In any case, they feel like full-grown racehorses. And with a kerb weight of 760 kg, they are not a difficult task to master.
Inside, the Beetle has remained true to itself, only the instruments have been modified a little. The speedometer shows up to 200 km/h, to the left of it there is a rev counter with a 7000 rpm maximum display, to the right an oil pressure gauge and an oil temperature display. You're glad of the rev counter, the boxer in the rear revs up eagerly.
Four gears have to suffice, the first is unsynchronized. The gearshift feel and the pedals are pure Beetle, but you sit a little lower and in bucket seats appropriate to the era.
This Beetle is incredible fun, even if it is not the most powerful variant in the stable. Because there is also the Theo Decker 1302, which can also make an impression on Porsche drivers. But that's for another time.
We would like to thank Volkswagen Classic for the opportunity to test drive the now widely known Mille Miglia Beetle.
