Photo: Volkswagen
The Clubsport is one hell of a Golf GTI, especially the Clubsport S. But when Volkswagen’s motorsport division takes one such hot hatchback to turn it into a full-on racing car, you just know something really awesome will come out of it. And it actually did.
Introducing the 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, which is a more serious take on the model presented last year for the 2016 TCR championships. First and foremost, let’s talk numbers. At 350 horsepower (261 kW) from a 2.0-liter TSI four-cylinder engine, you know this thing goes like a stabbed rat. 20 hp more potent than before, the engine is connected to a six-speed sequential tranny.
Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) figures have yet to be released, but given the fact that the 2016 model was capable of hitting the magical figure in 5.2 clicks, color me surprised if the new Golf GTI TCR isn’t quicker than that. All this go-faster goodness comes at a steep price, though. More to the point, VW wants €90,000 a pop, not including VAT. To its defense, that bundle of euros further buys you a lot of aerodynamic trickery for the so-called Touring Car Racing.
Wider fenders, more pronounced air intakes at the front, redesigned diffusers, and a thumping great wing are but a few of the enhancements. “With the new aerodynamics, we have further optimized the performance of the car on fast sections of the track by reducing aerodynamic drag and increasing the overall downforce,” said Eduard Weidl, TCR project leader at VW Motorsport.
Volkswagen expects to deliver 30 such vehicles in 2017, with outfits like Liqui Moly Team Engstler choosing the Golf GTI TCR over alternatives such as the Honda Civic, Opel Astra, SEAT Leon, and Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Speaking of the TCR series, the race-ready bruiser won 17 races and two championships in 2016. Liqui Moly Team Engstler confirmed that it plans to field the new model in the ADAC TCR Germany, TCR Asia, and TCR Middle East in 2017.
Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) figures have yet to be released, but given the fact that the 2016 model was capable of hitting the magical figure in 5.2 clicks, color me surprised if the new Golf GTI TCR isn’t quicker than that. All this go-faster goodness comes at a steep price, though. More to the point, VW wants €90,000 a pop, not including VAT. To its defense, that bundle of euros further buys you a lot of aerodynamic trickery for the so-called Touring Car Racing.
Wider fenders, more pronounced air intakes at the front, redesigned diffusers, and a thumping great wing are but a few of the enhancements. “With the new aerodynamics, we have further optimized the performance of the car on fast sections of the track by reducing aerodynamic drag and increasing the overall downforce,” said Eduard Weidl, TCR project leader at VW Motorsport.
Volkswagen expects to deliver 30 such vehicles in 2017, with outfits like Liqui Moly Team Engstler choosing the Golf GTI TCR over alternatives such as the Honda Civic, Opel Astra, SEAT Leon, and Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Speaking of the TCR series, the race-ready bruiser won 17 races and two championships in 2016. Liqui Moly Team Engstler confirmed that it plans to field the new model in the ADAC TCR Germany, TCR Asia, and TCR Middle East in 2017.
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