Sainz, Brundle, Bell, Laffitte and Biela Return to the Race Track for Scirocco R Cup

Five famous names from the world of motorsport including Carlos Sainz, Frank Biela, Jacques Laffite, Derek Bell and Martin Brundle are getting ready to line-up on the grid at Hockenheim this weekend (23-24 April) for the first round of the new VW Scirocco R Cup series.

Together, the five racing aces have started 343 Formula 1 Grand Prix and won the Dakar Rally, two World Rally Championship titles, the Sportscar World Championship, the German DTM championship, the British Touring Car Championship and the Le Mans 24-hour race a total of 11 times.

Each driver will a race a Scirocco R fitted with a modified 2.0-litre four-cylinder TSI engine running on bio-CNG that is said to reduce CO2 emissions by around 80 per cent compared with conventional engines.

The TSI unit produces 223-horsepower and 203 lbs ft of torque while an available "push-to-pass" system can provide a short 30HP boost in power.

The one-make series that supports the German DTM Touring Car Championship during 2010 includes a UK debut appearance at Brands Hatch over the weekend of 3-4 September 2010.

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VW Returns to the 'Ring with Improved Scirocco GT24-CNG

Volkswagen will participate at this year's edition of the Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race over the weekend 12-16 May with three natural gas-powered Scirocco GT24-CNGs.

The Scirocco GT24-CNG coupes are fitted with the same 2.0-litre TSI engine modified to run on natural gas that secured class victory at last year's event. A few minor tweaks help increase output from 325HP to 330HP.

Further developments of the 2009-spec Scirocco racers include a larger braking system to reduce maintenance intervals and the integration of two additional light units into the front bumper to improve visibility at night.

Also, one of the three racers features a new active electro-hydraulic differential in place of the conventional system which is fitted to the other two cars. The company claims that it combines the functionality of the conventional system with improved handling characteristics and a reduction in under-steer

Volkswagen said that during the latest of the preparation races, one of its drivers, Nicki Thim, posted a lap record on the Nordschleife circuit for a front-wheel drive vehicle in a time of 8m 47.337 seconds.

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B&B Raises the Horsepower Bar with VW Scirocco R

The sportiest Scirocco of them all, the 'R' variant, has received the tender tuning affections of 'B & B'. Starting with the Scirocco R's 265HP 2.0-liter turbocharged unit, the German firm offers three different stages of engine mods , with the first bumping power to 310HP.

The next two stages incrementally increase output to 324HP and 362HP, respectively, with the most powerful version using a larger turbocharger, custom exhaust system with a larger downpipe and high-performance catalyst as well as a modified ECU, air-intake and intercooler.

B & B's flagship Scirocco R model sprints from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.9 seconds and reaches a top speed in excess of 280km/h or 174 mph.

Other performance upgrades include a sport suspension that lowers the coupe's ride height by 30 mm or a little over an inch, a sport brake system and 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels.

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Car-Puccino: This 'Back to the Future' VW Scirocco Literally Runs on Coffee

When people think of alternative fuels for their cars, we doubt that coffee beans make the list. Yet a team of wacky inventors from the BBC1 science programme "Bang Goes The Theory" have managed to create a vehicle runs solely on gas produced by espresso roasted coffee granules!

Nicknamed Car-puccino, this 1988 VW Scirocco that looks like a bit like the Marty Mcfly's time-travelling DeLorean DMC-12 from the 'Back to the Future' trilogy, has been heavily modified to us coffee granules to power the engine.

So how does it work? According to the graph, the first stage involves heating the coffee granules with charcoal until the beans break down into cool hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

The gas is then fed into a radiator to chill down before it is filtered out in the boot. The purified gas is then led through a rooftop pipe into the engine where it burns and powers the car.

Nick Watson, producer of Bang Goes The Theory, said: 'Coffee, like wood or coal, has some carbon content so you can use it as a fuel. The coffee needs to be very dry and in pellets to allow the air to move through the pile of coffee as it burns. The brand doesn't matter.'

But even though the Car-puccino is full of beans, it sure won't please any bean counters with an estimated average consumption of 1 kilo / 2.2 pounds of ground coffee for every 4.8km / 3 miles (or about 56 espressos per mile).

The BBC1 team said that it is planning to cover a distance of 210 miles between Manchester and London using only coffee beans.

According to Daily Mail's calculations, "the journey will use about 70 kilos of ground coffee which, at supermarket prices of between £13 and £26 a kilo depending on brand and quality, will cost between £910 and £1,820, or between 25 and 50 times the £36 cost of petrol for the journey."

So now you know why coffee beans don't make the list with alternative fuels.

Via: Daily Mail / BBC1

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VW Prices New 270HP Golf R and 265HP Scirocco R in the UK [With Track Video]

Volkswagen has released pricing for its UK-bound Golf R and Scirocco R that are both expected to reach British showrooms in February of 2010. Prices for front-wheel drive Scirocco R that's fitted with a 265HP 2.0-litre TSI four-cylinder engine and a six speed manual gearbox start at £26,945 on-the-road while the all-wheel drive Golf R that's powered by a 270HP 2.0-liter turbo engine linked to a six-speed manual transmission, begins from £28,930. A six-speed DSG gearbox is available as an option on both models from £1,300.

The company says that the range-topping Scirocco accelerates from a standstill to 62 mph in 6.0 seconds, falling to 5.8 seconds when equipped with the dual-clutch DSG gearbox, while achieving a combined figure of 34.9 mpg UK (35.3 for DSG) and 189 g/km of CO2 (187 for DSG).

As for the Golf R that is available in three- and five-door body styles, it is the fastest accelerating VW ever produced, with a 0 to 62mph (100km/h) sprint time of just 5.7 seconds for the manual model and 5.5 seconds for the DSG equipped version. The Golf R is said to return 33.2 mpg UK on the combined cycle (DSG 33.6 mpg) and CO2 emissions of 199 g/km (195g DSG).

Both the Scirocco R and Golf R models have a top speed of 155 mph.

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VIDEO: 2010 VW Scirocco R 265HP Presentation at the Nurburgring

Parallel to the start of the 24-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring at the end of May, Volkswagen staged the world debut of its hottest Scirocco model ever that comes equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot cranking out 265HP and 350Nm of torque. This video that was shot during the presentation event includes the first driving footage of the new Scirocco R on the 'Ring as well as interviews with VW officials. Bear in mind though that the interviews are in German - and yes, those of you out there 'sprechen die Deutsche', feel free to enlighten us with your bilingual skills.

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VW Scirocco Coupe Tuned by Oettinger gets up to 350HP

European tuners are starting to warm up to the all-new Scirocco as the first examples of VW’s 3door coupe hit the streets. The latest proposal comes from Oettinger that has developed a subtle bodykit that consists of aero flaps for the front splitter, sill extensions and a rear diffuser that incorporates a new set of exhaust tailpipes. The kit is matched with a set of dark-colored lightweight 20-inch alloy wheels. Inside, the German tuning firm has spiced up the Scirocco with carbon-fiber trim accents, stainless steel kick plates, new floor mats and aluminium pedals. -Continued

Just like ABT (click here), Oettinger has fiddled around with the engine electronics raising the 1.4 TSI’s output from 160 to 200HP and the 2.0 TSI’s from 200 to 240HP. The German firm is also working on a specially tuned adjustable suspension and larger brakes along with a new kit that will boost the 2.0 TSI’s performance to 350HP and 470Nm. This power kit will be available by the end of the year.

Via: Worldcarfans

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Video: VW's Designer Talks About The 2009 Scirocco

In this two-part video released by Volkswagen, the 2009 Scirocco’s head designer March Lichte attempts to fascinate us with his detailed description of the sporty hatchback that was unveiled at last month’s Geneva Motor Show. The Scirocco will arrive in European dealerships this summer where it will be available with three different turbocharged gasoline engines delivering from 122hp to 200hp plus a 140hp turbo diesel. –Videos after the jump

PART 2

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2009 Volkswagen Scirocco Pursuit & 3D Video Clips

Just as it did with the Tiguan last year, Volkswagen has launched an online video campaign for the all-new Scirocco (click here for pics) that made its official debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in March. The first video clips to break cover are called “3D” and “Pursuit”.

As their names suggests, the first film is a computer generated video that shows off VW’s sporty hatchback (about time we started calling it what it really is…) while the second one is a light-action film that includes a 180-degree turn on the highway. Hopefully, VW’s next series of promo videos will be a tad more entertaining… -Both videos after the jump

3D Film

Pursuit Video

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2009 Volkswagen Scirocco Coupe Driving & Static Footage

Volkswagen has released the first official video of the Golf based Scirocco coupe that’s set to be launched Europe-wide in late summer with prices in Germany starting at € 21,750 or $33,050 (exchange rates on March 4, 2008); other countries will follow over the course of the next year. The four-seater Scirocco will initially be offered with a selection of four TDI and TSI engines with outputs ranging between 122 Hp and 200 Hp (see details and images here). –Video after the jump

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eBay: VW Scirocco DeLorean Wannabe

Our eBay find of the day attempts to take us…”Back to the Future”. The funny looking DeLorean-wannabe is based on a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco and like the original DMC, it has been equipped with gullwing-style doors. According to the seller, the replica was created in 2006 in order to take part in some sort of rally in the UK. -More pics after the jump

Link: eBay – Thanks for the tip Van!

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