Volkswagen officially unveiled the Scirocco GT24 at the GTI Meet at Wörther Lake. The car is going to be driven for two days at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
The racing version of the Scirocco is powered by 2.0L turbocharged engine that puts out 321 horsepower and 251 lb.-ft. of torque and is mated to a dual clutch transmission (DSG). All that power is sent directly to the front wheels, sadly. Too bad the US isn't even getting the regular Scirocco.
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PRESS RELEASE:
GTI Meet 2008: Gentlemen, start your engines!
World premiere of the Scirocco GT24 with 325 PS
Wolfsburg, 22 May 2008 - Volkswagen will present the world premiere of a 239 kW (325 PS) version of the new Scirocco today at the legendary GTI Meet at Wörther Lake. For two days later, a team of legendary drivers will start the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in the sports version of the Scirocco. Thus, the new Scirocco will be in the spotlight at two cult events for car enthusiasts at the same time.
Volkswagen is presenting the racing version of the Scirocco GT24 at Wörther Lake in a world premiere. "This car doesn't need to be driven to look fast. The Scirocco GT24 with the blue-white finish sits so low on its extended wheel wells that a hand will not fit between the wheel arch and the tyre. Yet the race car remains unmistakeably a Scirocco from every angle. Just even wider, even longer and even lower," says Volkswagen Chairman for Development Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, who will not be passing up the opportunity to sit behind the wheel in the race in the Eiffel. The 325 PS Scirocco will also be driven during the race by legendary drivers like rally world champion Carlos Sainz and Hans-Joachim Stuck, three-time winner of the 24-hour Nürburgring race. Incidentally, "Striezel" Stuck won the very first 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in 1970. Now, thirty-eight years later, the Scirocco GT24 is competing. It draws its power from only two litres displacement: the 16-valve direct injection engine with a turbocharger and intercooler delivers its maximum torque of 340 Newton metres beginning from only 2,100 rpm. Gear changes are executed by a dual clutch gearbox (DSG), which is also available for the production model.
The idea of an affordable dream car was born in the 70s with the first Scirocco. The success of this two-seat sport coupe continued for nearly 20 years, during which time more than 360,000 Sciroccos were built. The enthusiasm for this car has been uninterrupted since Volkswagen presented the new version of the Scirocco at this year's Geneva Motor Show. The new car appears to have struck a chord with car buyers and will pick up with the success of the original Scirocco which, in the mean time, has developed into a cult car.
Comments (23)
Nice...
Posted by Mike M | May 22, 2008 10:11 PM
Posted on May 22, 2008 22:11
First.
Posted by Tommy Boy | May 22, 2008 10:50 PM
Posted on May 22, 2008 22:50
Shame they won't bring it here, it's also ashame that they ruined the pretty front end of the concept. Still this version looks pretty decent.
Posted by Travis | May 23, 2008 12:32 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 00:32
Just as was stated in the Evo posting, the US always gets *ucked in imports from Japan and Europe.
Instead of this stylish pocket rocket we get the box-like GTi that's based off a $12k Rabbit.
Posted by Noya | May 23, 2008 1:39 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 01:39
with that drying rack on the back, my wash will be dry in 3.2 secs
Posted by lowest iq | May 23, 2008 4:19 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 04:19
'The car is going to be driven for two days at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring'.
...Hope that Cadillac and Chevy have buggered-off by then
Posted by torque retard | May 23, 2008 4:22 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 04:22
Yawn....
Crap car from a crap car company.
Posted by zippy | May 23, 2008 4:57 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 04:57
I'll have a double order of push with a side of torque steer.
Cool looking car... make it rwd or awd and you'd have something.
Posted by Dave K | May 23, 2008 5:50 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 05:50
Personally, I'd rather have the GTI anyways.
No front wheel drive car, except Chevy's Cobalt SS, is even remotely fast. The production Scibjdsjf wouldn't be fast either. If you're going to drive a slow silly commuter FWD car it might as well be comfortable and the GTI looks much more comfortable.
Whoever thought of a front wheel drive sports car was insane anyways. I'm glad we're not getting it or even more 16 year old kids would try to drag race me from stop lights. Thinking 7 seconds to 60 is going to blister anything they come across.
Posted by Cheap Car Lover | May 23, 2008 6:19 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 06:19
One of the few race cars that actually has a nice interior and 2 seats.
Posted by saheed | May 23, 2008 6:42 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 06:42
I feel sorry for the racer's. Racing for 24 hours in a 320+ hp Front-wheel drive car from a company that makes very unreliable cars will definetly be a headache.
(ex: torque steer, pathetic traction, tires will wear out fast in the front)!
Posted by Saheed | May 23, 2008 6:48 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 06:48
321hp to the front wheels ahahah
hello understeer
Posted by John Kimble | May 23, 2008 7:40 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 07:40
@
Saheed:
I feel sorry for the racer's. Racing for 24 hours in a 320+ hp Front-wheel drive car from a company that makes very unreliable cars will definetly be a headache.
It's not a headache at all for the racers. The car will probably break down or crash within an hour or 2 :)
Posted by Mihalakis | May 23, 2008 8:53 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 08:53
This VeeDubya would sell here, in street guise obviously. Kind of a good looking car in a Sarah Jessica Parker kind of way. (She was voted least sexy by a men's magazine, Must be the huge weather vane on her face)
Posted by Rich | May 23, 2008 11:38 AM
Posted on May 23, 2008 11:38
Last year the GTI also ran the 24 Hours at Nurburgring and they finished.....
.
.
.
.
1st in their class and 8th overall.
Must be a pretty crappy and unreliable car to achieve such a horrible defeat. How embarassing for VW and their fans to watch such a spectacle.
This year the Scirocco is being driven by the likes of two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz and two-time LeMans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck.
I wonder how VW managed to get such drivers to race in such a crappy car, especially a FWD car.
Idiots.
Posted by reality | May 23, 2008 5:11 PM
Posted on May 23, 2008 17:11
@ reality
I second that :)
It's like the people that scream about the wonders of Toyota reliability.
VW vehicles aren't that much different... people need to realize they need to change oil [the correct oil] per the maintenance manual and don't drive with the check engine light on.
btw my ex-girlfriend's family has had much more trouble with their Toyota's than I have had with my VW.
Posted by s a r | May 24, 2008 8:01 AM
Posted on May 24, 2008 08:01
VW makes the best cars in the world, since 1933.
Posted by SARS | May 24, 2008 8:52 PM
Posted on May 24, 2008 20:52
Hahahahhaha
So the VW Scirocco finished 1st, 2nd and 5th in their class (Seat Leon Cupras took 3rd and 4th, so techincally VW Group took all 5 top spots).
They finished 11th, 15th and 32nd overall.
And the Lexus LF-A supercar? It finished 121st. That's right, 121st. Then again, the Lexus did finish 7th (out of 11 entries) in their class.
There's your lousy VW reliability vs Lexus perfect reliability.
Posted by reality | May 25, 2008 9:43 AM
Posted on May 25, 2008 09:43
where did you guys get all the information?
source?
Posted by jettto | May 25, 2008 4:59 PM
Posted on May 25, 2008 16:59
Why does everyone keep going on about torque steer?
Did everyone miss the fact this is a RACE car? This is not a riced out blown stock/street honda civic. This was built to do this race, not be streetable. I would certainly think a good suspension designer could eliminate or at least correct torque steer. I don't see Nascar or Indy (or any Formula series cars) drift (other than a 4 wheel drift which is correct for these cars). They don't go sliding around the track because they make 500-600hp and are rear wheel drive. They have been tuned according to the track they are racing, and drive accordingly.
I would think this is no different. I mean does the Scirocco you go down to VW and buy have a balance bar on the braking system, or toggle switches, or a removable steering wheel? (I know we all hope so...)
RACE car people.....
Posted by Brian | May 26, 2008 8:04 AM
Posted on May 26, 2008 08:04
nice looking car, but in actuallity i bet its not a great quality car so even though i wont be able to buy one in chicago im not heart broken
Posted by dennisil | May 27, 2008 9:09 AM
Posted on May 27, 2008 09:09
vw haters. back to driving your malibu and hummers
people keep brining up VW's product reliability.
does everyone forget the toyota T100 debacle ??
or
the honda civic " hell any year" rear wheel well rusting
or
nissan in the mid 90's
every auto maker foes through its rough patches. hell i own a 2006 nissan sentra and its a money pit. Yet my 99 pathfinder is by far my best car i have ever owned.
OWN IT then make an opinion. Till then enjoy your shit box vett..........chevette
Posted by macer1 | June 3, 2008 12:11 AM
Posted on June 3, 2008 00:11
I don't have any personal experience with the new Mexican-made VWs, but I do with the old German-made Sciroccos. They were, and still are, excellent cars and very reliable.
I drove a '79 Scirocco for many years and then bought a '86 16V Scirocco, which I'm still driving today. It's chugging along with almost 280,000 miles on the odometer. Now that I'm paying over $4 per gallon it has become my daily driver and is delivering 30 mpg city and over 36 mpg highway. Not bad for a 22 year old car.
Meanwhile, my 420 hp American muscle car is parked most of the time. At 14 mpg it's just for fun on weekends.
Bottom line is that if you keep up with the regularly scheduled maintenance and replace parts when they break, a VW will last longer than any other car on the road today. The handling is superb and they're fun to drive. I've noticed that people who have problems with VWs are usually those who neglect and abuse their cars. Don't blame the car if the engine seizes because you never check the oil.
Posted by godZilla28 | June 4, 2008 10:20 PM
Posted on June 4, 2008 22:20