VW sends the most powerful Polo ever on the road: The Polo R WRC produces 220 hp and runs 243 km/h. The Volkswagen Polo R WRC is a rally car for use in the World Rally Championship. The car was developed at Volkswagen Motorsport under the direction of Technical Director Willy Rampf, Technical Project Manager World Rally Championship François-Xavier Demaison and Head of VW Race Engine Development Donatus Wichelhaus. In addition to the rally car, Volkswagen also unveiled a road version of the vehicle, limited to 2500 vehicles. The Polo R WRC gets 220 hp from its two-liter four-cylinder, runs to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds, tops out at 243 km/h – a true “Über”-Polo.

The road-going version naturally makes a less wild impression than the sports car. Nevertheless, the white three-door car with the blue and gray rally stripes sits low on the road. The four 215 18-inch tires feel full on the wheel arches, and at the rear the Polo R is adorned with a spoiler on the roof, a black diffuser at the bottom and a sporty twin-pipe exhaust on the left. The gears are changed via a manual six-speed transmission, and the WRC tops the 250 Newton meters of torque of the Polo GTI by another 100 Nm. No doubt about it: VW fans have a new monument. Sure, the whole thing is a marketing ploy. But it will work. Because the Polo R is not just a 40 hp more powerful escalation stage of the Polo GTI, but it accompanies VW’s entry into the World Rally Championship.

Immediately after unveiling the road-going version, VW unveiled the Polo R WRC in front of the famous casino in Monaco, with which the Wolfsburg-based company will compete in the legendary Rally Monte Carlo in five weeks’ time at the same venue. The competition car also has a two-liter four-cylinder engine, but produces 315 hp and of course has all-wheel drive. Officially, VW bosses are keeping a low profile and see 2013 as a WRC apprenticeship year, but behind closed doors, ambitions are high. As far as the sharp road-going Polo is concerned, success should be a foregone conclusion.

From experience, the 2500 examples quickly found their fans. The fact that they are driving a very special VW is also made clear by the exclusive equipment. Sports seats upholstered in Alcantara and a steering wheel flattened at the bottom show its potency in the interior. There are also WRC logos on the backrests, shift knob and steering wheel spoke – visible but not obtrusive.