To satisfy homologation rules for the World Rally Championship (WRC), Volkswagen has announced they will produce 2 500 units of the super hot Polo R WRC for the road.
We’ll get the bad news out of the way first though, which is that, apart from the limited numbers, Volkswagen will only produce the car in left-hand drive and so we won’t be seeing the car on South African roads.
Now to the good part. The meat in the all-wheel drive Polo sandwich is a modified version of the Golf GTI’s 2.0-litre turbocharged, in-line, 4-cylinder engine. Boosted to produce 162 kW and 350 Nm of torque, the WRC introduces increases of 30 kW and 200 Nm over that of the standard Polo GTI. Equipped with a short-throw, 6-speed, manual transmission, VW claim the Polo R WRC will reach 100 km/h from a standing start in 6.4 seconds and is capable of a 241 km/h top speed.
In terms of styling, the 3-door Polo R WRC features a rally-inspired front bumper with large air intakes, new side skirts, as well as a rear bumper that looks similar to the Polo GTI. There is also a larger spoiler attached to the rear hatch. If the body kit seemed a little modest, then the ‘WRC’ livery sets the record straight. ‘R’ logos are to be found on the front and back of the car, while a combination of white/blue/grey stripes run along the sides and over the bonnet.
The interior has been given an Alcantara-covered steering wheel, aluminium racing pedals, a black roof liner and WRC-embroidered partial leather seats.
The Polo R WRC is available to order in Germany from tomorrow, at a cost of €33 900 (around R380 000), with deliveries planned for September 2013.
