Just the other day I was thinking again that the GTI suits me. It drives the same whether you’re going fast or slow. In fact I was thinking it would be the perfect car for endurance racing and wondered if there are many examples at the Nurburgring 24, the most famous endurance racing event for street stock cars.
Apparently I’m not the only one, because Volkswagen Motorsport is preparing to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Golf by entering a car in the Nurburgring, which is scheduled for 23-26 June.
The 2011 Volkswagen Golf24 isn’t your typical GTI, though. The motorsport engineers started with the chassis of the Audi TT-RS, but you wouldn’t recognize it. The all-wheel drive chassis now carries a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-4 that makes 434 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, and the GTI-style race-type bodywork is pretty spectacular.
The Nurburgring 24 attracts 200 cars every year, with an average of three drivers per car. About 300,000 people show up to see the carnage. A factory-sponsored Golf last raced at the Nurburgring 24 in 2007, when a 295-hp car finished eighth overall. Last year VW entered a team of Sciroccos, which finished first, second and third in class.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Edmunds.com @ 22,125 miles
eldaino2 says:
06:48 PM, 03/31/11
So much win
hopster says:
11:37 PM, 03/31/11
I demand more vents. That thing looks slick.