{"id":20827,"date":"2017-07-11T20:34:39","date_gmt":"2017-07-12T00:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=20827"},"modified":"2017-07-13T20:38:26","modified_gmt":"2017-07-14T00:38:26","slug":"love-bug-lives-just-dont-call-it-herbie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/love-bug-lives-just-dont-call-it-herbie","title":{"rendered":"Love Bug lives! Just don\u2019t call it \u2018Herbie\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Some<\/p>\n<\/div>

Indianapolis<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Blockbuster sequels are in this year: \u201cSpider-Man,\u201d \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,\u201d \u201cThe Fate of the Furious.\u201d And now, coming to a race track near you, the 560-horsepower Love Bug.<\/p>\n

But this 2017 Volkswagen is no fictional movie character.<\/p>\n

This is a real-life, tire-smoking, all-wheel drive monster designed to win on Sunday and sell on Monday. Andretti Autosport\u2019s VW Beetles dominated last weekend\u2019s Red Bull Global Rallycross at Lucas Oil Raceway, adding to their lead in the U.S. championship. Piloted by American stars Tanner Foust and Scott Speed, and prepared by two-time IndyCar champion Michael Andretti\u2019s race shop, the Bug team is the highest-profile VW competitor since Disney\u2019s Herbie graced the silver screen in six films from 1968 to 2005.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo take our most iconic car and modernize it has been fantastic,\u201d VW marketing specialist Sean Maynard said at Team Andretti\u2019s Indy headquarters. \u201cOur core millennial audience is transitioning from traditional media to crowd contenting. We get comments on Facebook from fans who would never have considered a Beetle but now say \u2014 hey, that\u2019s a bad-ass looking thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the 21st century, racing is a critical marketing tool for auto brands from\u00a0Cadillac IMSA prototypes<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0LeMans-wining Ford GTs<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0Mazda Miata Cup cars<\/a>. Add Global Rallycross, which demands more of a car than perhaps any other series.<\/p>\n

Based on a production platform, a Global Rallycross chariot must conquer dirt, asphalt and a suspension-crushing jump over the course of a lap \u2014 while pushing a four-cylinder engine to unheard-of limits. The Bug\u2019s success couldn\u2019t come at a better time for VW, which has been struggling under a cloud of Dieselgate and disappointing U.S. sales. The Global Rallycross program is not only successful, but helps the brand build relationships with first-time buyers \u2014 a relationship it hopes will progress to volume, family Tiguan and Atlas SUV sales.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe brought Scott and Tanner into the (new) dealership here and over 100 people came out to interact with them,\u201d said Maynard. \u201cWord-of-mouth is the number-one generator of sales. Fans see this amazing Beetle going around the track, then they go to the dealer … and see an Atlas someone in the family might need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0While VW has been behind the curve on America\u2019s SUV revolution, it has always had a strong connection with gearheads. Its Golf GTI was the first compact \u201chot hatch\u201d in the U.S., setting a trend followed by competitors like Ford and Honda. But the iconic Beetle has always set the brand apart. The original, rear-engine \u201cType 1\u201d is still raced off-road in Baja. And \u201cThe Love Bug\u201d inspired generations of buyers from the first\u00a01968 film starring Dean Jones<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a02005 hit featuring<\/a>\u00a0Lindsay Lohan.<\/div>\n

When Volkswagen decided to enter a car in Global Rallycross in 2014, the Beetle got the nod.<\/p>\n

The Bug\u2019s legacy is heavily rooted in \u201960s nostalgia. When Disney\u2019s quirky Herbie took down-on-his-luck-racing driver Jim Douglas (played by Jones) to victory over villain Peter Thorndyke and his stable of race cars (including a Ferrari), it made for a feel-good underdog hit. Herbie grossed $51 million as the third-most popular movie of 1968 (that\u2019s $352 million in today\u2019s dollars, or what \u201cWonder Woman\u201d has earned).<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Global Rallycross Beetle even has echoes of the original. Imagine team manager\u00a0John \u201cTZ\u201d Tzouanakis<\/a>, a veteran strategist on eight IndyCar titles, as Herbie mechanic Buddy Hackett. Or dashing race-car personality and ex-\u201cTop Gear USA\u201d host Foust as movie star Jones. Along with ex-Formula One racer Speed, the team is loaded with marquee names.<\/div>\n

But this is no underdog effort. Winner of five Indy 500s and four IndyCar championships, the Andretti Autosport helped take Global Rallycross to another level when they partnered with VW four years ago. Competing alongside factory-supported teams from Ford, Subaru, and Honda, Andretti\u2019s Bug has won the last two championships and is on course for three in a row with three races remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the gnarliest beast I\u2019ve ever driven,\u201d says Foust, who is leading this year\u2019s driver\u2019s points race. \u201cSince I got into Rallycross in 2009, the cars have gone from a backyard mechanic status to full-manufacture, wind-tunnel-tested, ultra-professional grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Grand Rallycross Beetle has come a long way from Herbie. Built in Mexico on the same, front-engine platform as the Golf, the Bugs were shipped to Germany where they underwent surgery that would make Dr. Frankenstein proud. The race car must share the same turbo-4 cylinder technology, chassis, doors and roof as the production Bug. And little else.<\/p>\n

The winged rear deck and front fenders are made of carbon fiber with NASCAR-like stickers for headlights. The 8,000-rpm engine is blown out of its mind, and a six-speed sequential gearbox is mated to an all-wheel drive powertrain. The 3,000-pound varmint is then shipped to Andretti\u2019s shop where it\u2019s fortified with race suspension, roll cage and wrapped in sponsor livery.<\/p>\n

Off the starting line, the V-dub hits 60 mph in two seconds flat.<\/p>\n

In this guise the Bug is probably better described as a red fire ant or African killer bee. Just don\u2019t call it Herbie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t talk about Herbie,\u201d says VW\u2019s Maynard. \u201cDisney owns the rights to the name. So if we did that, we\u2019d have to pay them a significant amount of (licensing) money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foust says the team is determined to build its own legend beyond Herbie. \u201cWe took the first GRC race car and did a video (making) skid marks that spelled out: \u2018Don\u2019t call me Herbie,\u2019 \u201d he says and laughs.<\/p>\n

At Lucas Oil Raceway, Scott Speed\u2019s red, Circle K-sponsored V-dub and Foust\u2019s black, Rockstar Energy Drink-sponsored twin flew away from the Ford Focus RS, Subaru WRX STI, and Honda Civic Si competition. Between race heats, fans climbed into a production Golf, Beetle and Atlas on display outside the stands.<\/p>\n

In a champagne-drenched victory circle afterward, the winning duo accepted trophies while a sea of young race fans waved \u201cVolkswagen\u201d signs in the crowd. \u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable how many kids are there,\u201d says Foust. \u201cWe are raising a new generation of car fans.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indianapolis\u00a0\u2013 Blockbuster sequels are in this year: \u201cSpider-Man,\u201d \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,\u201d \u201cThe Fate of the Furious.\u201d And now, coming to a race track near you, the 560-horsepower Love Bug. But this 2017 Volkswagen is no fictional movie character. This is a real-life, tire-smoking, all-wheel drive monster designed to win on Sunday and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20827"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20828,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20827\/revisions\/20828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}