| Endurance racing | 2008 Nurburgring 24 Hours | VW Scirocco |
Volkswagen is pumping up the marketing push of its forthcoming Scirocco coupe in the best possible way. No teaser adverts here, just a team of three race-prepped endurance cars that will take part in this weekend's Nurburgring 24-hour race.
The three cars are based on the shell of the new Scirocco. However, the endurance racer is 227mm longer and 61mm wider to cover the car's broader track. It also sits 75mm lower than a production Scirocco and has lightweight 18-inch alloy wheels. VW has shed 178kg from the racer for it to tip the scales at 1,120kg.
More weight has been saved by stripping out the interior, which features a Recaro racing seat, digital dash display and carbon fibre panel for essential switches. There are also steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters for the six-speed DSG transmission.
The gearbox is attached to a 296bhp version of the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that will appear in the production Scirocco. For the showroom model, the engine comes in 197bhp form, as used in the
Golf GTI, but for the racer features a lightened flywheel.
The road-going version of the Scirocco goes on sale in the UK on August 29 and VW will confirm prices closer to the launch date.
Alisdair Suttie - 23 May 2008