It doesn’t have a sexy name, but the Tanner Foust ENEOUS RWB Beetle is one cool Bug

By Andrew Hard Published November 5, 2014

Tanner Foust Racing Beetle — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Pro racing driver Tanner Foust didn’t carve a pumpkin this year; he built a Beetle.

The gourd-colored Volkswagen is the product of a collaboration between Foust and Porsche tuner RAUH-Welt Begriff (rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?) and was sponsored by ENEOS Motor Oil.

Recommended Videos

The Tanner Foust Racing ENEOUS RWB Beetle is currently being showcased at the 2014 SEMA Show, and wears a RAUH-Welt Begriff wide body kit that extends the car’s width by about eight inches.

Yes, this Beetle was designed by a shop that specializes in Porsche 911 tuning. Somewhere, Jeremy Clarkson is sending Richard Hammond a belittling Tweet.

“I love the engineering that Volkswagen puts into its cars — they’re packed with features and very capable — and I love the stylistic cues that you see from tuners in Japan,” said Foust. “I thought it would be interesting to mix the two and see what you would get.”

Tanner Foust Racing Beetle — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Outside of the body kit, the RWB car is equipped with custom 18-inch Motegi Racing Traklite Wheels, a wide array of splitters and decals, as well as a new shift knob and pedal set inside.

No performance specs have been released for the car at this time, but the stock Beetle turbo develops 210 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque from its 2.0-liter turbocharged four.

While we’re on the subject of modified Beetles driven by Tanner Foust (who knew it was such a deep topic?), the Top Gear U.S. presenter will drive the maniacal GRC racecar the Global Rallycross Championship season finale on November 5^th.

The 544-hp racing VW makes an impressive 340 hp-per-liter from its 1.6-liter engine, and can reportedly hit 60 mph in just 2.1 seconds.

(Photos by Tanner Foust Racing and RAUH-Welt Begriff)

Topics

SEMA

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…

Cars

Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work

Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Cars

EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says

ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.