Want to Buy a Jet-powered Volkswagen Beetle for $700,000?
Do you miss the Volkswagen Beetle? Yeah, it’s still kind of sad that production ended for good in July 2019. Now, we’ll put a smile on your face with a Beetle that’s for sale on Craigslist.
You may have seen it before on the web or on TV. Designed in the mid-2000s by a mechanical engineer named Ron Patrick (who holds a PhD from the Stanford University, by the way), it features a General Electric T58-8F jet engine in the back—like, literally sticking out of the trunk.
- Also: Goodbye Volkswagen Beetle, Hello Future
- Also: The End: The Last Volkswagen Beetle Leaves the Assembly Line
This super thruster can spin at up to 26,000 rpm and supplies the poor little Beetle with an additional 1,350 horsepower. The throttle for the jet engine is located next to the gear selector. It is a lever and has three buttons: Cool, Big-Fire, and Afterburner.
In the ad, the creator explains in great detail the origins of the project and all the work that’s been done on the car, which can legally drive on the road since it retains a four-cylinder engine (115 hp) under the hood. Fun fact: A heat blanket under the jet engine keeps the plastic bumper from melting.
There’s no mention of acceleration times or top speed, but we imagine the exercise is more nerve-wracking than with a Lamborghini Aventador or Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, for instance.
But you know what is arguably the craziest part? The Beetle-rocket is listed at $550,000 USD, which is the equivalent of $700,000 CAD at the current exchange rate. If you’re somehow interested, the car is in Sunnyvale, California.
