Memminger Roadster 2.7 – 210 hp, mid-engined Beetle

Fans of the current-generation Volkswagen Beetle may have greeted news of its discontinuation with sadness, though purists may say that with the much-earlier departure of the air-cooled, rear-engined Beetle, it had left us much sooner anyway.

Enter the Memminger Roadster 2.7. Here is a restorative modification undertaking which sees an original VW Beetle chassis modified to accommodate a 2.7 litre, air-cooled boxer four cylinder engine in a rear-midship position, here producing 210 hp and 247 Nm of torque via a five-speed manual gearbox. Acceleration times have not been quoted, though the powerplant has just 800 kg to propel, and top speed is beyond 200 km/h.

The repositioning of the engine also means that the Roadster – as the name suggests – is now a strict two-seater. Braking components are from an unspecified air-cooled Porsche, according to Auto Motor und Sport, with discs measuring 278 mm in front and 262 mm at the rear. Rolling stock is a set of 18-inch wheels with 225/45 tyres in front and 255/40 tyres at the back.

The Memminger Roadster is built from tubular steel framework which is welded to the Beetle chassis, and wears body panels which give a lower, wider stance than the ’70s Beetle Cabriolet it is fashioned from. A chopped front windscreen gives the Roadster a sort of 911 Speedster look, as does the rear deck which is topped by a pair of roll hoops, with humps blending into a pair of air intakes.

Inside, the Roadster 2.7 wears a modernised, minimalist take on the Beetle interior somewhat reminiscent of Singer Vehicle Design’s ‘reimaginations’, where a pair of bucket seats are trimmed in a retro-themed finish of leather and cloth. A thin-rimmed, three-spoke steering wheel homes in on the classic sports car theme, as do the set of analogue dials for temperature, oil pressure, clock and of course tachometer and speedometer.

So far definitive pricing for the Memminger Roadster 2.7 is not known, though the report states that the resto-mod could yield a production run of up to 20 units. Fancy a Singer-esque take on an (extensively modified) air-cooled Beetle?

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