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Rear-Engined, Rear-Wheel-Drive Volkswagen Polo RX Revealed — Will We See It In A Race?
Volkswagen Motorsport India has revealed the Polo RX to celebrate its 10th anniversary. To mark its 10th anniversary, the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive Polo RX race car was revealed at the Madras Motor Race Track.
Volkswagen Motorsport India decided to go all-out on the Polo RX and as a result, might just have over-engineered it. During the winter break, the engineers at Volkswagen Motorsport India decide to build something unique and unlike anything they had developed before.
It was decided that this new car would be unveiled at the 10th anniversary celebrations of the sub-division and that this new 'winter project' would not be limited by any regulations. Volkswagen Motorsport India took their most powerful engine yet - the 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol motor used in the Ameo Cup race cars - and plonked it in the rear of the Polo RX.
It pushes out a maximum power output of around 202bhp. A six-speed sequential gearbox controlled by paddle shifters drives the rear wheels. The intercooler for the turbocharger is positioned where the rear seat would have been, while the fuel tank, battery and electricals have been positioned at the front of the car, enabling equal weight distribution.
The suspension too has been revised when compared to the previous Polo Cup race cars. The Volkswagen Polo RX is a one-off build and only acts as a showcase of Volkswagen Motorsport India's engineering prowess.
It cannot be used to participate in a real race as the car does not comply with the racing regulations of any race category in India. The Polo RX is expected to be seriously quick around a racetrack and the only way we could see it racing is if the company decides to build many more of these and then create a new one make series out of it.
Volkswagen is no stranger when it comes to one make championships, as the company has been hosting such championships for nine years now. It started off with the Polo Cup in 2010. Volkswagen Motorsport India then updated the Polo Cup cars with new 128bhp diesel and 178bhp petrol engines, increasing performance by a large margin.
The Polo Cup was discontinued and the Vento Cup was introduced in 2015 with the same engines as the Polo Cup. The Vento Cup cars though were faster as they were more stable in the corners, thanks to the increase in wheelbase.
Two years later, in 2017, Volkswagen set up a dedicated race division at its plant in Chakan. It was in the same year that the Vento Cup made way for the Ameo Cup and the same has been continuing since then.
Thoughts On Volkswagen Motorsport India's 10th Anniversary and Polo RX
The Volkswagen Polo RX just goes to show how mental the engineers over at Volkswagen Motorsport India can be. Developing a rear-engined, rear-wheel-driven car in such a short span of time is not an easy task and Volkswagen Motorsport India has done just that. Making an entire one make championship out of the Polo RX would prove to an expensive affair, but it does excite us.