Volkswagen is developing its first racing auto based on the seventh-generation production Golf. Torrents, people! Besides looking like a GTI that’s gone on an intake bender, pumped up its guns at the gym, and popped some roll-cage Viagra, the Golf’s most notable feature is that it’s just a Golf, sort of.
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There’s a new touring auto racing series coming to town – aptly named the Touring auto Racer worldwide (TCR) series – and Volkswagen is taking a good, hard look at getting in on the action.
This particular vehicle uses the same turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that powers the inspired Golf R – only stoked from 296bhp to 325bhp – and a dual-clutch DSG gearbox. The chassis is approximately nearly 16 inches wider than a production Golf and sits on 18-inch racing wheels developed by Volkswagen Motorsport. As well as being about 40 cm (15.7 in) wider than VW’s hottest road-going hatch, the TCR Golf is fitted with a massive rear wing, a specially designed front splitter and a broad rear diffuser. Inside, there’s a full safety cage, a racing seat with harnesses, and a minimum of carpet, interior plastics, or visual banality. “We will also use the rest of the season to test the vehicle under competitive conditions and evaluate a possible customer racing project from 2016”.
As well as pitching VW into the midst of the Touring car Racer global Series, the racing Golf also shows off the potential for extra power from VW’s 2.0-liter motor. Everybody knows a giant wing gives any vehicle a 5-160-hp bump. Drivers are cocooned inside a race seat and rollcage, while an FIA-approved safety fuel cell keeps the vehicle from becoming a fireball in case of a big accident. With exciting races, production-based technology and reasonable costs, it offers a new outlook for private racing teams.
The Liqui Moly Team Engstler will run two cars at the eighth round of the Touring car Racer global Series (TCR) at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, on Saturday and Sunday.
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