The third vehicle of Project R GT is a street and track-prepared VW Touareg V6. Once again, it uses a twin-turbo variant of the
3.2-litre V6, however, due to its off-road-capable transfer case system - a critical component in the 4X Motion 4WD - it uses a six-speed automatic gearbox with Tiptronic manual-mode actuation. Here, power output is 500-horsepower, backed by similar amounts of torque. The SUV's dynamics have been exponentially improved by lowering the car significantly using KW coilovers, instead of the standard steel springs, and adding performance Brembo brakes and massive 22-inch wheels and tires.
In terms of its appearance, the Touareg gets a perfect 10: it's lowered look, Volkswagen Individual body kit and oversized wheels fit in perfectly with the urban luxury SUV niche, while the
interior's high quality finish is further upgraded through milled aluminum trim similar to that of the Bugatti Veyron, suede-trimmed sports seats, 'his and hers' black iPods, and integrated Sony PSP gaming systems. Yet, for all of its street credentials, this Touareg is designed to be hustled around the track, featuring full safety gear that includes an integrated roll cage, fuel cell and ultra high performance Michelin tires.
Although this is VW's first entry at SEMA, it's one of this show's most impressive. Given the right amount of money, components featured in these vehicles can be purchased from HPA or Volkswagen, making theme not completely out of reach of the public. As for the vehicles themselves, Volkswagen has no intention of producing them. However, the German automaker promises that more conventional measures of these high performance machines will end up on its future vehicles - something that Volkswagen enthusiasts the world over are really looking forward to.
Note: see the photo album for a massive gallery of these HPA-tuned Volkswagens
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| The street and track-prepared Touareg R GT uses a six-speed Tiptronic manual-mode gearbox mated to a 500-horsepower twin-turbo 3.2-litre V6, plus 4X Motion AWD, KW coilovers, Brembo brakes and massive 22-inch wheels and tires. (Photo: HPA Motorsports) |
In terms of its appearance, the Touareg gets a perfect 10: it's lowered look, Volkswagen Individual body kit and oversized wheels fit in perfectly with the urban luxury SUV niche, while the
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| The super-SUV's high quality interior is further upgraded with milled aluminum accents, suede-trimmed sports seats, 'his and her' black iPods, and integrated Sony PSP gaming systems. (Photo: HPA Motorsports) |
Although this is VW's first entry at SEMA, it's one of this show's most impressive. Given the right amount of money, components featured in these vehicles can be purchased from HPA or Volkswagen, making theme not completely out of reach of the public. As for the vehicles themselves, Volkswagen has no intention of producing them. However, the German automaker promises that more conventional measures of these high performance machines will end up on its future vehicles - something that Volkswagen enthusiasts the world over are really looking forward to.
Note: see the photo album for a massive gallery of these HPA-tuned Volkswagens
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