A Volkswagen Beetle drag car is turning heads with an unusual combination of parts from three automakers: Volkswagen, Toyota and Audi. Originally a third-generation Toyota MR2, the car now wears a classic Beetle body and uses a mid-mounted 1.8-liter Audi TT engine, delivering enough performance to record an 11.1-second quarter-mile run at 124 mph.
Featured on Drag Media UK’s YouTube channel, the modified car stands out for its understated appearance. Despite its drag-strip performance, it retains much of the original Beetle’s familiar styling, including classic-looking wheels and tires, while concealing a drivetrain assembled from very different vehicles.
A Volkswagen Beetle Built From Toyota and Audi Components
Custom car projects often prioritize maximum power and aggressive styling, but this Beetle takes a more restrained approach. At first glance, it looks much like a standard Volkswagen Beetle, with few exterior clues revealing the extensive modifications beneath its body.
The walkaround video shows a largely stock-looking exterior and an interior that appears mostly original. The visible changes inside include a different steering wheel, a bucket seat and a roll cage, although the video does not provide a full view of the cabin.
According to the report, the car originally started life as a third-generation Toyota MR2, a model built between 1999 and 2007. The MR2’s original mid-engine layout made it a fitting foundation for a project that retained some of the Toyota’s underlying configuration.
The vehicle was sent to Stav-Tech / Zurawski Motorsport, where an engine swap transformed the original setup. The car now uses a 1.8-liter inline-four Audi engine sourced from the TT sports car, positioned in the middle-rear of the vehicle.
To fit the Beetle body over the Toyota-based chassis, the owner cut 50 mm from the MR2 chassis. The result combines Volkswagen’s distinctive exterior with Toyota underpinnings and Audi power.
Audi TT Engine Powers the Beetle Dragster
The car’s performance suggests that the Audi-powered Beetle is considerably more capable than its appearance might indicate. Although neither the report nor the video provides official engine output figures, the vehicle has recorded a drag time of 11.1 seconds at 124 mph.
The video also shows the Beetle defeating another modified Volkswagen Bug and an early-2000s Audi A4. Those runs demonstrate the car’s performance on the strip, even though its precise power output remains unconfirmed.
In standard form, the Audi 1.8-liter engine produced around 150 horsepower in its base configuration. The report suggests that modifications may have increased the output of the Beetle’s engine, potentially bringing it to around 300 horsepower.
That figure remains an estimate rather than a confirmed specification. No detailed information about the engine modifications or the car’s actual horsepower was provided.
Can the Audi 1.8-Liter Engine Handle More Power?
Increasing the engine’s output to around 300 horsepower would not necessarily place excessive strain on the Audi motor if the modifications were carried out properly. The engine has already demonstrated additional tuning potential in other applications.
The track-focused Audi TT Quattro Sport Edition produced 240 horsepower, providing an example of the engine delivering more power than the base version’s approximately 150-horsepower output.
While the Beetle’s exact specifications remain unknown, its combination of a mid-mounted Audi engine, Toyota MR2 chassis and classic Volkswagen body has produced a drag car with a surprisingly understated appearance and a recorded run of 11.1 seconds at 124 mph.
