Special edition causes debate in the German Bundestag

Probably the coolest VW Beetle of all time is the 1303 S GSR, the “Yellow and Black Racer”. In 1973, the official special model appeared, which was clearly aimed at motor sports enthusiast customers. Based on the 1303 S, the Wolfsburg company created the GSR. This abbreviation stood simply for ‘yellow-black racer’. This picked up on the eye-catching color scheme. The entire bodyshell, including doors and fenders as well as a new, slotted front panel, was painted in ‘Saturn yellow’. The front and rear hoods in matte black serve as accent points. The trim parts otherwise finished in chrome, such as the windshield frames or the bumpers, also wear either black or yellow.

When you think of the legendary Volkswagen Beetle, all kinds of memories come flooding back. Whether it’s rides in a Beetle convertible in the finest weather, driving lessons in the 1960s or movies with Herbie and Dudu, this car mobilized more than two generations. It is often forgotten, however, that the Beetle was also used in motor sports. In addition to the Porsche Salzburg team, which used the Salzburg Beetle in rallies, there were above all many private drivers on the circuit, in hill climbs and in slalom racing. Volkswagen did not serve this market directly, but left it to tuners such as Oettinger or Theo Decker (TDE).

Probably the coolest VW Beetle of all time is the 1303 S GSR, the “Yellow and Black Racer”. In 1973, the official special model appeared, which was clearly aimed at motor sports enthusiast customers. Based on the 1303 S, the Wolfsburg company created the GSR. This abbreviation stood simply for ‘yellow-black racer’. This picked up on the eye-catching color scheme. The entire bodyshell, including doors and fenders as well as a new, slotted front panel, was painted in ‘Saturn yellow’. The front and rear hoods in matte black serve as accent points. The trim parts otherwise finished in chrome, such as the windshield frames or the bumpers, also wear either black or yellow.

The VW Beetle 1303 S “Yellow-Black Racer” (GSR for short) was once discussed by the Bundestag! The deputies thought that the garish appearance of the 1973 special model was an invitation to unreasonable behavior on the road. But the GSR was more harmless than it looked and perhaps even safer than any Beetle before it. Under the hood sits the 1600 cubic boxer with 50 hp. This allows the coolest of all Beetles to nimbly sprint around the curves, but in no way makes it a racer. It stops at 145 km/h. The debate in the Bundestag mentioned at the beginning also completely ignores the fact that VW had finally given the 1303 a modern chassis. Technically, the Beetle was now almost as well positioned as the Porsche 911 and thus probably safer to drive than any of its predecessors. However, there was an official tuning release from VW for the special Beetle – up to 100 hp and 165 km/h top speed. This was not entirely unworldly: tuners such as Sauer & Sohn in Dieburg, Hesse, already achieved the 160 mark with 75 hp, but also charged 2500 marks for the power cure.

Standard equipment included a leatherette sports steering wheel, sports seats with more lateral support, and 15-inch and 5.5-inch wide steel wheels in a sports design. On them sat the then equivalent of today’s low-profile tires, namely 175/70 HR 15 tires of the type Pirelli Cinturato.

According to official figures, a total of 3,500 units were built. Depending on the source, only between 60 and 120 still exist in their original condition. Today, the yellow and black racer is loved – the racer from back then is a classic on which the entire model history of the Beetle can be told.

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