Volkswagen Beetle RSI

This is a Volkswagen Beetle RSi, number 114 of just 250 cars built worldwide. A factory-built, wide-arched, four-wheel-drive Beetle with a 3.2-litre VR6 and a six-speed manual — and still, over two decades later, it feels every bit as special as the numbers suggest.

First registered in April 2002 and originally German-supplied, the car spent its early life as a dealer vehicle before passing to a single private owner at just over 9,000 km. It now shows 143500km and sits today with a strong history file including stamped servicing, invoices, TÜV documentation, paint depth readings to confirm original paint and its original books in the correct orange leather wallet.

But the story here isn’t paperwork — it’s how this thing drives.

Period road tests struggled to categorise the RSi. Too aggressive to be a novelty, too focused to be dismissed as a styling exercise. What they all agreed on was the engine — that narrow-angle VR6 delivers a thick band of torque, a hard-edged intake note and a soundtrack that builds into something properly addictive. Coupled with 4Motion and a manual gearbox, it turns what could have been a curiosity into something genuinely capable.

And that holds true today.

The genuine feeling on this car is very, very good. In fact, it’s one of the best driving cars I’ve had in a long time. I covered over 900km in a single day in it — and it completely blew me away. The torque is incredible, it just pulls and pulls in a way modern turbo cars don’t quite replicate. There’s real comfort there too — it settles into long distances effortlessly — and when you lean on it, the noise is sensational. Proper, mechanical, analogue.

More than anything, it just feels special. More special than I expected, if I’m honest.

Visually, it’s everything an RSi should be — flared arches, aggressive bumpers, rear diffuser, towering wing and sitting correctly on OZ Racing wheels. Inside, it’s pure early-2000s VW Individual theatre — orange leather Recaros, carbon fibre trim, Alcantara headlining and that signature rear brace. It feels focused, rare and purpose-built.

Recent maintenance includes a full service at circa 130,000 km with fluids, plugs and Haldex work carried out, backed up by earlier documented servicing from Volkswagen and specialists. A major service will also be carried out by ourselves.

These don’t come up often, this is the only RSI in Ireland — and when they do, they sell immediately. A genuinely usable modern classic with real pedigree, real rarity and, crucially, a driving experience that actually lives up to the hype. The most desirable VW in the collector car market and a genuine investment opportunity. Now applicable for US importation, with some advertised in excess of $160000. This could be the last chance you get to buy one before they move out of reach.