The long-awaited Volkswagen Polo R WRC road car has been unveiled in production form in Monte Carlo,but the news is all bad for Australian fans of the rally-inspired pocket rocket.
Limited to 2500 units worldwide,the hottest?Volkswagen Polo?production car in history will be produced in left-hand-drive only to?satisfy homologation regulations for Volkswagen's entry into the 2013 World Rally Championship season,?putting it off the table for Volkswagen Australia.
Powering the front-wheel-drive Volkswagen Polo R WRC is an uprated version of the 155kW/280Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged engine from the Golf GTI,tuned to produce 162kW(at 4500-6300rpm)and 350Nm(at 2500-4400rpm)–a significant 30kW and 100Nm boost over the current flagship Polo GTI.
Equipped with a six-speed manual transmission,the Polo R WRC sprints from 0-100km/h in 6.4 seconds before kicking on to a top speed of 243km/h.Fuel-wise,it consumes 7.4 litres per 100km on the combined cycle and emits an average of 174g/km CO2.
Appearing almost identical to the Volkswagen Polo R WRC Street concept?(below)that debuted at Worthersee tuning show in May,the limited edition three-door-only production car sports 18-inch alloy wheels,a revised front bumper with larger intakes and a lower front spoiler,white/blue/grey livery with black mirror caps and rear spoiler,and a rear diffuser with twin chrome exhaust outlets.
Like the concept,the cabin features an alcantara-covered steering wheel,racing pedals,black roof liner and WRC-embroidered partial leather seats.
Priced from 33,900 euros($41,800),the Volkswagen Polo R WRC will be available to order in select markets from tomorrow ahead of the first deliveries in September 2013.
