VW’s Last Pikes Peak Driver Welcomes Romain Dumas to the Team

Way back in 1987 Volkswagen decided to do something that only the enormous volume of cocaine being consumed in the ‘80s can explain: build a twin-engine Golf to take on Pikes Peak.

Remember, this was in the ‘80s when computers were still, effectively, fancy calculators, so running one longitudinal (wuh?) 16V, 1.8-liter engine and one Hewland 5-speed manual transmission per axle was no mean feat.

These combined for a total of 640 hp, which might have been enough to compete against Walter Rohrl’s Audi Sport Quattro S1 Pikes Peak, but the car broke down (gasp) on its timed run.

The program now in its third year and having failed to provide a race win was canned after that, but the legend remains and now, the bi motor’s driver, Jochi Kleint is passing the baton to Romain Dumas, who has been tapped to take VW’s all-electric car up to Pikes Peak.

Interestingly, VW’s new Pikes Peak car may share more than just a badge with the bi motor. We already know that VW intends on putting electric motors at either end of its I.D. streetcars, so it stands to reason that, like the 1987 car, the new racer might have a motor per axle.

We’ll find out if VW can finally earn itself a Pikes Peak win in June when the hill climb takes place.

And for more on the bi motor program’s history, take a couple of minutes to read this excellent article from our friends over at thetruthaboutcars.

The post VW’s Last Pikes Peak Driver Welcomes Romain Dumas to the Team appeared first on VWVortex.

from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2oUFuUV
via IFTTT

Comments

Project SportWagen: Going Stage 2 with APR

When we last left you, the humble little SportWagen was fresh from the development process with our friends at AWE Tuning, sporting a new downpipe, exhaust and intake, allowing things to breathe a bit easier. The car sounded great, but there was no getting around the fact that our wagon was still quite, well, slow. While we realize that nothing we do to the Golf SportWagen at this point will make it a race car, we still felt compelled to do something . To put it bluntly, we had a fever, and the only cure was more power. Flash forward a few hours, and we found ourselves at Waterfest, staring down APR’s palatial spread and the numerous tuned vehicles surrounding it. Earlier in the year, APR had hinted to us that their 1.8 TSI files would be quite impressive, and based on what they were able to do with the 2.0 TSI found in the new GTI and our time in their Golf R, we knew it’d be worth the wait. So with this in mind, we lined our G...

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...

Volkswagen Golf GTE Wins Top Honor at the 2015 Business Techies Awards

Golf GTE wins Green category in the 2015 BusinessCar Fleet Technology awards Judges praised the Golf GTE for its performance, ease of use and economy Golf GTE launched earlier this year with plug-in hybrid technology – priced from £33,755 204 PS performance combined with CO 2 emissions of just 39 g/km Volkswagen has added to its growing list of 2015 automotive industry accolades by winning the Green category in the annual BusinessCar Fleet Technology Awards – the Techies. The prestigious title was awarded to Volkswagen for the Golf GTE, an innovative plug-in hybrid that combines sporty dynamics with exceptional fuel economy and low CO 2 emissions. Now in their seventh year, the Techies are judged by both BusinessCar’s experienced editorial panel with help from TRL’s technology expert. The industry’s only technology-specific awards, the BusinessCar Techies reward the use of technology to make business car fleet operations easier, cheaper, cleaner, safer and more straig...

Vorderman Volkswagen

Search This Blog