Volkswagen has brought its Beetle R Concept along to the LA Motor Show. We first saw this car at the Frankfurt show back in September. Since then not a lot has changed; some fancy new computer generated pics, plus they have also given us a reasonable look inside.
Racing style bucket seats, familiar to the optional seats available in the Golf R adorn the Beetle R Concept. Aside from that it’s the same ‘Serious Grey’ coloured machine we’ve already seen.
This just about the most awesome DIY drag car we’ve seen. Clearly, being an old skool Volkswagen Golf, it gets a big tick here at AUSmotive HQ. But it’s more that this innocent and humble looking Mk2 is hiding a 16 valve 1.8 litre engine with a monster Garrett GTX4202R turbo bolted on. How does 900hp sound! That’s around 1hp per kilogram.
Throw in a 4 motion all-wheel drive system and you end up with a Veyron-basher; 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds and, get this, 0-250km/h in just 8.87 seconds.
Take the jump to see this beast in action.
[via autoblog]
Volkswagen’s sassy Golf Cabriolet is now on sale in Australia. With four seats and and retractable soft-top roof it further enhances the model range of the Golf for local buyers. Offered for sale with only the 118 TSI spec engine the Golf Cabrio is priced from $36,990 for the 6-speed manual and $39,490 for the 7-speed DSG.
The roof opens in nine seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 30km/h. Those concerned about the lack of roof and safety can be assured an automatic roll-over hoop deploys within 0.25 seconds of its sensors being alerted. The Golf Cabrio has also earned a five-star safety rating from EuroNCAP.
More detail from Volkswagen is available after the break, including PDF downloads for the detailed press release and full Australian specifications.
After yesterday’s unofficial video of the Polo R WRC testing in Germany, Volkswagen has given us the official word. Success was the main one thrown about.
Two-time WRC champion Carlos Sainz was the first person to drive the Polo R WRC in anger. “I immensely enjoy being involved in the development and testing of the new Polo R WRC – and having the privilege of driving the first kilometres is naturally a great honour,†said Sainz.
“The car is still in an early stage but already feels very good. For the whole team, whether engineers, mechanics or drivers, it’s very important to get to know the first real car as early as possible and to test and continue to develop it.â€
Volkswagen aren’t planning to enter the WRC until 2013 and Kris Nissen, Motorsport Director, gives a rough outline of the team’s plans, “The first Polo represents a preliminary stage of the subsequent rally car and during the upcoming months will serve as a test vehicle for various components such as engines, gearboxes or suspension parts. The findings obtained in these tests will be directly fed into the first thorough-bred Polo R WRC.
“Next year we’ll be running an extensive testing programme on tarmac, gravel, mud and snow in order to prepare ourselves for the 2013 season as best we can.â€
There’s more after the break, including pics, quotes and an official highlights video from Volkswagen Motorsport.
If you’re a fan of the Volkswagen Scirocco R then your ship has come in; literally. Volkswagen Australia sent out an email yesterday advising prospective customers that the first officially imported Scirocco R models have arrived and now they’ve posted an image gallery to prove it.
Prices and specs for Australian delivered Scirocco R models were announced by Volkswagen in September. As a quick reminder you’ll need $47,490 for a 6-speed manual and $49,990 if you want a 6-speed DSG. Of course, you’ll also need to add taxes and associated on road costs to those manufacturer’s list prices.
Here at AUSmotive we’ve been big fans of the Scirocco ever since it was first launched in 2008. Indeed, we even suggested you get in touch with VW Aus to see if they could get a wriggle on for the sexy coupé.
Well, it’s taken over three years, but the Scirocco is here and we can’t wait to drive it!
Here is a fantastic video showing rally legend and Volkswagen employee Carlos Sainz thrashing a prototype Polo R WRC around some country lanes in Germany. Turn your volume up to 11 and enjoy!
Jonny Smith, formerly of television show Fifth Gear, has shared his thoughts on the birth of the Volkswagen Golf GTI 35 years ago and its subsequent legacy. Here at AUSmotive HQ we currently have two GTIs parked in the a drive; a 1980 Mk1 and a 2006 Mk5. Having previously owned a 2001 Mk4 GTI as well, we were keen to see what Smith had to say in his article published on Influx.
Here’s a teaser, and make sure you follow the source link below for the full article:
Prior to the Golf GTI’s birth, to reach its calibre of performance you’d need to drive a cramped coupe or a bulky saloon. The GTI didn’t have the temperamental traits of highly-​​strung Italian machinery, the hit-​​and-​​miss quality of British cars or the kitsch of many ’70s Japanese try-​​hards.
Fitted with an eager fuel injected front-​​drive four-​​pot engine the thing just inhaled meandering B-​​roads and returned decent motorway comfort, together with real-​​world mpg. You could cruise it, you could gun it, and you could do the school run without it missing a beat or costing a fortune to keep alive.
[Source: Influx]
You’re looking at a prototype of the next-generation Golf VII. It has to be the most heavily camouflaged car we’ve ever seen. That crazy magic eye puzzle pattern really messes with your senses!
In profile view, though, we get a preview of the more heavily raked front windscreen and see that the famous Golf C-pillar will remain. We’ve placed a pic of the current model Golf VI after the break for comparison.
While this pic is new there’s no new speculation on what the new Golf will bring since we last brought you up to date back in June.
[Source: WCF]
Supposedly this standard looking Polo GTI is actually a Polo R development model, Auto Express reports.
Back in May Volkswagen board member Ulrich Hackenberg gave a road-going Polo R some momentum when he said, “You can see how the World Rally Championship programme would increase the probability of an R version of the base model [Polo].â€
Since then Volkswagen has shown off the Polo R WRC at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The rally car is powered by a 300hp/350Nm 1.6 TSI engine, which gives us a bit of a clue as to the type of engine likely to power a road version of the Polo R.
We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that it gets a 4motion all-wheel drive system as well. We may have an answer in around 12 months or so with the Polo R expected to go on sale in late 2012.
[Source: Auto Express]
Volkswagen has shown the serious side of its new Beetle by presenting a Beetle R concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Featuring some bling 20″ Talladega alloy wheels and a ‘Serious Grey’ paint scheme the Beetle R is no cute love bug. A revised and widened body kit completes the transformation from cute to purposeful.
Power would come from the 2.0 litre turbo four cylinder found in the Golf R and Scirocco R. We can’t say if it would match the 195kW on offer in the two-wheel drive Scirocco R or perhaps be knocked back a peg or two to the same tune found in the 173kW Golf GTI Edition 35.
While no great detail has been provided by Volkswagen as yet, it’s been suggested R GmbH will leave its hi-po Beetle to be driven by the front wheels.
More after the break, including a short YouTube clip filmed in the halls of the Frankfurt show.
The new Volkswagen up! is a city-based runabout designed to be cheap and easy to run. But if you want a bit more go with your urban iCar then Volkswagen has given us the racy the GT up!
Volkswagen says it’s been inspired by the GTI. It has a restyled exterior and a “dynamic” anthracite coloured interior.
With a projected peak power figure of 100PS and a kerbweight of 900kg it’s pretty close to the spec of the original Mk1 GTI too.
Volkswagen has arrived at the Frankfurt Motor Show with a sense of fun and freedom with this buggy up! concept. Based on the new up! platform the buggy up! pays tribute to the movement started in California back in the 1960s.
A use of lightweight high strength steels and clever materials ensure this is a buggy that’s right on trend and a true 21st century creation.
The best party trick for the buggy up! is its waterproof interior. There’s plenty of drainage to ensure flooding is no problem, but it’s the neoprene coated seats also mean you can jump straight in after a swim in the ocean.