Volkswagen will be continuing their contention in the Nurburgring 24 Hours Endurance Race with an all-new platform, a 440hp, 540Nm Golf, dubbed the Golf24. The newly developed all-out racer is powered by the 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder lump borrowed from sister company’s Audi TT-RS and RS3 models.
A little tweaking has managed to squeeze out 440hp and 540Nm of torque that is then transferred to all four wheels via the permanent four-wheel drive system through a six-speed sequential transmission with paddle-shifters.
Volkswagen have been contesting the past three years of the Nurburgring 24 Hours with their Scirocco GT24 but before that it was the Golf carrying the VW nameplate, but with just 300hp and only a front-wheel drive layout. Nonetheless, it managed to clock in an eighth place overall finish. With a host of upgrades this time around that includes upgraded aero and a drastic diet with carbon fiber parts, the Golf24 looks likely to up a better fight and possibly place higher.
“With the new Golf24 we are continuing our successful commitment at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. The event enjoys huge popularity, is one of the true classics in motorsport and, due to its extreme distance and unique race track, also represents a very big technical challenge. With our spectacular Golf we want to provide an additional highlight in front of a large audience and right in time for the 35th anniversary of the GTI this year,” said Kris Nissen, Volkswagen Director of Motorsport.
The Golf 24 has already been flogged at circuits in Portugal and Italy but testing and development will carry on until the race that will take place over the June 23-26 weekend.
Source: CarScoop
