Not to sound like a broken record, but some of the cars for sale in Europe that we as Americans don’t get a chance at is mildly sickening. Now there’s one more to add to the list: the piping-hot Volkswagen Scirocco R.
The Scirocco R debuted at the 24 hours of Nurburgring today (rather than at Worthersee, where it was expected). The Scirocco R the high performance variant of the Golf-based Coupe, using bits and pieces from the corporate parts bin to put together one exciting overall package.
The engine comes courtesy of the Audi TT-S and S3, an updated and uprated version of the 2.0L direct injection turbo 4 that VW uses for everything. The main difference is the change from a Borg-Warner K03 to a K04 turbocharger for more flow volume, which equals more power. In this case, power jumps from 200bhp (in the Scirocco 2.0T) to 265bhp, and torque from 207 lb-ft to 258 lb-ft (350nM.)
Power is transmitted through a 6 speed twin-clutch DSG gearbox and divvied up by VW’s fancy XDS torque-vectoring differential. The chassis sits slightly lower than the standard Scirocco, and sports a body kit styled after the Scirocco endurance racers that are campaigning in the Nurburgring 24hr. 18″ “Talladega” wheels, a black rear diffuser, twin exhaust pipes, and some LED bling on the front end set the Scirocco R apart from the regular models.
The Scirocco R will be burning rubber down your street, as long as your street isn’t in the USA, in September with a starting price of £26,000 – good value for the performance on offer. Considering it’s basically a front-wheel-drive TT-S, the price is even more appealing. Now if only VW would ship it over here… again, with the broken record impression. Sorry.
May 20th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
My dad owned a green 1986 VW Scirocco which was pretty cool car to drive, and overall pretty reliable, especially since its the car I learned how to drive with a clutch. Despite my initial inability to effectively shift the gears in a smooth manner, the Scirocco continued to roll along. Its great to see the Scirocco nameplate back in circulation again, I would encourage everyone who has the opportunity to take a tour the Wolfsburg plant in Germany, it’s a mammoth in size facility, with a history that dates back to 1938 with the production of the “Peoples Car” which was the forbearer of the modern VW Beetle.
May 20th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Austin – thanks for the tip about the Wolfsburg plant, will definitely check it out if I ever head over to Germany.
This car for me is just full of win. I drove the 09 Scirocco GT at the beginning of this year and thought it was a fantastic drive (although it did have a manual transmission…not sure how this DSG will compare).
Any upgrade to that machine is bound to be a dream to drive and a pleasure to look at.
In related news, my local VW dealership just closed down…damn recession.