In order to homologate the Polo WRC rally car, the FIA requires Volkswagen to build 2,500 road-going models. The production version of the Polo R WRC was shown late last year when VW began taking orders for the car, and now, the German company has just released a big photo gallery of the most powerful production Polo ever made, ahead of the start of deliveries scheduled for September 2013.
Name and rally decals aside, the street version has very little in common with the race car. It is front-wheel drive instead of four-wheel drive and has a 220 PS (217HP) 2.0-liter engine compared to a 300 PS (295HP) 1.6-liter unit of the real WRC Polo. However, dropping a Golf GTI engine linked to a six-speed manual gearbox in the Polo says it all about the character of the Polo R WRC.
The car sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.4 seconds (0.1 seconds faster than the Golf GTI and on par with the Golf GTI Performance) and reaches a top speed of 243 km/h (151 mph).
VW says it handles well thanks to a sports suspension and an electronic differential lock. There’s no question that putting down all 217-horses could prove to be quite a challenge for the front wheels without any assistance. A comparison with the Polo GTI is useless, as the Polo R WRC has 40 hp and 100 Nm more.
Priced at €33,900 ($43,690) in Germany, each of the 2,500 units sports an identical paint scheme as seen in the photos – white color for the body with blue-gray stripes.
For that kind of money, VW will also throw in 18-inch Cagliari alloy-wheels, standard bi-xenon headlights, sport seats with WRC logos, cruise control, light and rain sensor, winter package, climate control and radio navigation unit, among others.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
