IN SPORT MODE

SLOTTED PORSCHE WHEELS WERE FITTED WITH SLIGHTLY WIDER 165-15 GOODYEAR TIRES

Back during its air-cooled days, Volkswagen typically frowned upon any private effort to promote the Beetle as a performance-oriented vehicle. The German manufacturer argued these endeavors would tarnish the image of the Bug, which in their mind was meant to be a simple, reliable and non-ostentatious family automobile.

Yet, it appears that companies such as Empi in the USA missed the memo, as demonstrated by their GTV sedans, built to go faster and to handle like a Porsche. VW quickly put pressure on Empi and its dealer network and the GTV would thereby remain a short-lived venture.

But the Riverside, California-based empire wasn’t the only one to go against the grain at the time. Over 5,000-miles away, D’Ieteren – Volkswagen’s official Belgian importer – launched its own high-performance experiment in 1964, based on a Beetle called the Mach 1.

D’IETEREN RACING TEAMS

D’Ieteren has been