Watch an 1998 VW Beetle TDI Pull a Gooseneck Trailer With Its Roof

Back then, Volkswagen was criticized for sticking the new Beetle's engine under the hood, as well as for offering a noisy TDI. Nowadays, fanatics praise the 1.9-liter oil-burner for its bulletproof reliability. So why not put it to work?

YouTuber Bug Bmx loves the Beetle and wanted to recreate a video from 1974 where the original air-cooled model was sued to tow a camper using a roof hitch. Back then, this stuff was cool, but you never see it nowadays, which is why they tried it with a "fresh" Beetle.

This isn't exactly the epitome of towing prowess we're dealing here, though. This base 1.9 TDI only makes 90 horsepower, or it used to over two decades ago. And don't give us any of that torque malarkey, because it's only pushing 155 lb-ft (210 Nm) when all the cylinders have full compression. We're betting that's not the case.

Still, the first big hurdle had nothing to do with the engine. The YouTubers just tried to hitch the trailer on the roof. This results in the skin buckling under the weight, which is disconcerting for the driver and his head. For the record, an empty trailer like this one probably weighs over a ton and a half, but there's no way of telling what kind of forces it's exerting.

Eventually, the ideal setup is found, which is to attach a makeshift roof rack and take advantage of the chassis strength. With this solution, the Beetle proves ideal for the situation, as it's small enough to do a full 360 under the trailer. Remember kids, don't try this at home.