Oprah Teases 2012 VW Beetle on Show, Hands Out Free Cars to Audience [with Video]

Love her or hate her, Oprah is one of the most influential women in the USA, and a mere mention of a product on her show can send masses running to buy it. Volkswagen took advantage of Oprah's ability to sway viewers by choosing her show to reveal the design silhouette of its all-new 2012 Beetle. And if that wasn't enough, the TV persona surprised her audience by giving each and every one of them a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. Well, not now, but when the car comes out in May of 2011.

"Oprah Winfrey and the Volkswagen Beetle are two American icons, so when the "Oprah" show approached us with this incredible opportunity to share her Beetle experience with deserving viewers, we instantly wanted to be a part of it," said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America.

"Our all-new 2012 Beetle exemplifies power, styling and sophistication, and is an automotive icon reinvented to create the new shape of performance," he added.

In addition to the styling tease, VW released a statement saying that the "2012 Beetle will be a true, performance driving machine perfected by German engineering, offering a wealth of technologies that will provide a heightened driving experience over the previous generation."

The German company added that the New Beetle's successor, spy pictures of which you can check out below, will offer dual exhaust, 19-inch wheels, sport seats and new, sleeker styling, as well as numerous available features such as touch screen radio, high-grade audio speaker systems, navigation and unique ambient lighting .

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Mental Breakdown: A 1,700HP Volkswagen Bus Dragster

Here's one Volkswagen Bus you wouldn't want to mess around with. It's called the Mental Breakdown and it's the creation of Wayne Allman from the British county of Warwickshire. Of the original 1965 VW model upon which it is based, only the driver's cabin was left intact. Power comes from an 8.4-liter supercharhed Keith Black V8 Hemi unit that runs on methanol and delivers 1,700bhp.

"I have always loved installing powerful engines in the wrong cars", says Allman who will show off the VW dragster model at this week's Essen Motor Show in Germany. Until the show goes live, check out at the photo gallery and a video from this year's test runs on the drag strip.

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Honey, I Shrunk the Camaro: VW Beetle-based 1970 Camaro Z28 Replica

Some replicas are outrageous because they use such unworthy underpinnings in their attempt to clone iconic cars. This here Beetle-based Camaro Z28 replica is a prime example. The all-fiberglass miniature "muscle car" has a Beetle chassis, frame, floor and 1.6-liter engine with dual carbs. The latter was recently freshened up - always according to the seller.

Even though it's a replica, the mini Camaro does have a few original Chevrolet components. These would be the 15x8 rally wheels and 1970 Camaro lights and bumpers.

The car's owner says these replicas were built back in the '70s (and are very rare), which could explain the weird choice of chassis: it was a ver cheap solution. The car is said to look and run good, mainly because it was stored since 1994.

The car is street legal, so you can buy it and drive it away, but forgive me for not finding one good reason to do so.

It's being sold on a number of specialty websites, with prices ranging between US $4,150-6,500. Wonder what's up with that... Whatever the cost, I'd never go for something like this. Even the idea of associating the Beetle with the Camaro is revolting, not to mention the heresy.

By Csaba Daradics

Link: Collectorcars

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2012 VW New Beetle Caught Testing, will get 2.0T and Possible Hybrid

Before you are spy pictures of an all-new second-generation New Beetle. While the test mule appears to still be wearing the current model's nose and rear, the big news here is the appearance of the less "cute" and more "masculine" roof line that seems to be part Beetle and part stubby Chrysler Crossfire or Porsche 356; take your pick.

Volkswagen hopes the larger and lower-slung Beetle, which should get at least a few cues from the Ragster concept, will make the retro compact more appealing for the style- and space-conscious (and men, too, we hear).

Also, the actual production front and rear fascias will likely be more chiseled in order to be closer related to VW's current design language.

Other than the brand new design, power trains should be similar to Volkswagen's Golf/Jetta lineup. That means an entry-level 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder, and 210-horsepower-strong 2.0-liter turbo engine in the States. For other markets, the Beetle will also appear with a variety of smaller gasoline mills as well as some TDI diesel units.

We should have more info and pics as we get closer to the Beetle's debut (right now, that's anywhere from L.A. in November, Detroit in January, or Geneva in March). That's also when we should be getting some information on any Cabrio, hybrid, Turbo S, and 4Motion variants.

By Phil Alex

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