VW Heavily Modifies Two Vintage Cabriolet Beetles and Invites Wolfsburg Players to a Drive

This seems to be the case with an event VW has just been implicated in. Known as "A meeting of four wolves," VW invited two VfL Wolfsburg players, Lukas and Felix Nmecha, to drive around in two Beetle 1303 Cabriolets. While this isn't normally a big deal, the cherry on this cake is that the two Beetles, a 1978 Beetle 1303 Cabriolet and its younger brother, a 1979 Beetle 1303 Cabriolet, have seen quite the extensive tuning, just perfect for this month's theme.

We all know that VfL Wolfsburg and the stadium this team inhabits are owned by Volkswagen, so it makes sense to stage the occasional PR stunt on these grounds and under this context. As I mentioned, VW invited Wolfsburg's two newcomers, brothers Lukas and Felix Nmecha, two players already making a name for themselves. To welcome the two, VW invited them out to ride around for 90 minutes, the full-length of a regulation soccer match, in the Two Cabriolets I mentioned earlier.

But, I also mentioned that these two vehicles have seen extensive tuning on behalf of VW. Well, to kick things off, the first Beetle, the 1978 version, is only 1978 on the outside. The inner workings (drivetrain) of this bugger have been swapped out with nothing more than a fresh and capable Volkswagen e-up! drivetrain. This alone boasts 60 kW (81 hp) of juice and brings "state-of-the-art" accessories.

Now, the classic e-up! delivered a peak of 61 kW (83 hp) while yielding a range up to 260 km (161.5 mi) on a full charge. However, the version in the 1978 Cabriolet seems to be just a tad less capable and yields only 60 kW (81 hp) with a range of 250 km (155.3 mi).

As for the younger sibling, the 1979 Cabriolet, this puppy has been completely refurbished too and features the classic setup inclusive of a rear-mounted Boxer engine with 37 kW (50 hp) of power; a classic nonetheless.

Just so you can understand the level of attraction these two machines have, before the two newcomers even got to see and test the tuned bugs, these critters were unleashed for all the other players to see and talk about. Classic comments like "Really, it is electric?" and "Can you buy them like that?" were among the mix of questions that these two iconic machines have sparked.

Now, the drivetrains weren't all these two bugs featured anew. For the 1978 version, the electric one, all inner workings of any old electric drivetrain had to be in place, too. This means inverters, cables instead of hoses, and a funky charge port hidden and integrated beautifully. Fine, I'll tell you where it's hidden: underneath the rear right taillight. Just lift it up and plug this puppy in.

LED lights were also a feature that VW focused on, not to mention that classic interior with "e-Käfer" imprinted into the leather dashboard. Everything else was kept as classic as possible, even down to the radio dials and that steering wheel style I haven't seen since the early 90s.

The Boxer version saw its own refurbishment too and features pristine accessories, with, you guessed it, tubes, air intakes, and of course, the smell of exhaust. This is the version you can hear and smell before it even shows up on your radar. Here too, dials, steering wheel, seats, and even seatbelts, all as original as you can get.

Upon test driving the 1979 version, these two young players realized first hand what it meant to drive around in a vehicle with no ABS, no ESP, and definitely no power steering. Back then, things were done with brute strength.

Once a quick test of each version was completed, the players then each chose their own Beetle version and were allowed to roam free, in the process possibly running a couple quarter miles races. Upon returning the vehicles to the VfL Wolfsburg office, one was parked while the other plugged in for charging.

By the end of the experience, both brothers seem to prefer the electric version over the classic one, with Felix mentioning, "What? They both look the same? Only the lights are different. This one looks a little tired, the e-Beetle looks more awake."

Personally, I wouldn't care which of these two pristine Beetles I take a ride in or even end up owning. I've always been a Beetle lover and always will be, no matter the engine or color, in this case, Viper Green. What about you, which version do you like best?