The car above is the original 1972 VW Beetle GSR, or Gelb Schwarzer Renner, or yellow-black racer. The 1972 GSR was a limited edition beetle pumped up to a whopping 50 hp and an unbelievable 18 second 0-60 mph run. According to Hemmings Motor News there are maybe 100 left in circulation. It is NOT for sale at CarMax. What IS for sale is its modern day equivalent, the 2014 VW Beetle GSR unicorn below. Car and Driver offers that maybe half of the 3,500 limited production run of 2014 GSR’s came to the USA. Makes it a bit rare, even if the modern GSR came from Mexico and not West Germany.
The GSR caught my eye during my nightly search for yellow cars. Out of 39,000 cars in the inventory, CarMax has only 79 yellow cars – pretty much tied with purple for the fewest. The time is coming when I will sell my 1971 Fiat 124 Spider, painted Porsche Speed Yellow (ironic for such a slow car), and I’m always on the lookout for modern day yellow scooters. At first I thought this was just an appearance package, but Google set me straight. So did Car and Driver, Autoweek, and Hemmings.
Let’s start with the motor. In 2014 the GSR’s 2.0 liter turbo four was boosted to 210 hp, 10 more than the venerable GTI of the same year. Too bad it’s automatic, even though it’s dual clutch. Car and Driver noted despite the 100 lb weight gain of a GSR over GTI, the 10 hp moved the GSR to 60 mph almost a half-second quicker. The following year GTI’s also came with 210 hp, for the record. The GSR cornered quicker and braked shorter than the GTI of the same era, defying it’s more civilized packaging. Honestly, had I not looked up the original 1972 GSR I’d have no idea why this Beetle looks the way it does. I suspect most casual car folks won’t either and will think it’s just a silly, summer Beetle.
Car and Driver described the interior well. “Inside the GSR, things are toned down a bit with tasteful black leather sport seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel highlighted with yellow stitching. Pushbutton start, a Fender premium audio system, aluminum pedals, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, a turbo-boost gauge, and a clock with a stopwatch feature help round out the GSR’s cabin kit. VW plans a run of 3500 GSRs, the special-edition number of each emblazoned on a steering-wheel plaque.” Unfortunately, CarMax photographers NEVER put effort into capturing the limited edition plaque numbers. Maybe you can see it below?
The GSR also minimally tops the GTI in cargo space due to the higher roofline. Makes the GSR pretty much all around a better car than the GTI, and yet a yellow-black-racer probably has a far more limited appeal, limited edition notwithstanding. Not sure this GSR is really that much of a bargain at almost $20,000, given it sold new for about $30,000 seven years ago, and it’s sporting a good 78,000 miles. That said for a true VW fan it might be just the thing. Find this two-owner car here in Turnersville, New Jersey.
