VW will release a special version of the Beetle. The 53 Edition is a version inspired by the classic Herbie, the beetle who had feelings and always appeared to save the day.
When his "owners" were in trouble he was the superman there on the farm, but instead of tights and a cape, Herbie had a red stripe and a blue stripe and the number 53 glued to the bonnet. I'm not saying they wanted to compare the car to a person, but more to a dog perhaps – but without all the excitement of wagging the tail when you see the owner…
Only for the Spanish market
Apparently, the Beetle 53 Edition will only be sold in the country of nuestros hermanos. Maybe Herbie likes tortillas or “watered” tapas with a good rioja – explanation I find for the decision to only market this product in Spain, the car has feelings, we cannot disappoint it. Or maybe, because only in Spain is anyone able to buy a VW Beetle that has a giant 53 on the bonnet, based on a car that cried at night after losing a race…
The new Herbie comes with 17″ wheels and some details related to the edition also in the interior – such as an emblem glued to the glove compartment. So far, there are three engines presented: 1.2 TSI and 1.6 TDI, both with 105hp, and a 2.0 TDI with 140hp that gives you the possibility to choose between the traditional 6-speed gearbox and the DSG automatic. Prices range from 22,090 euros to 27,980 euros.
Aimed at the Spanish market, the new Herbie, in addition to not wanting to be disappointed, was also concerned about not affecting the feelings of its potential buyers – the Volkswagen changed the name Beetle that is on the rear for “Escarabajo”…English was never the strong point of our “brothers”.
Text: Diogo Teixeira