In my second look at
the Techno Classica Essen I’ll focus on the cars that are part of the
VW group, such as Lamborghini and Audi. But I’ll start with some special Golfs that
were present – like this pristine MkI GTI.
I saw this car last year at the Wörthersee event, where it was part of the 35th anniversary celebrations for the GTI. The car has been built
by KWL-Motorsport and features a powerful 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine with 212bhp. The
car is still used for racing events and even competes in classic 24-hour races.
Volkswagen brought some very special cars
like this Golf MkII that saw action during the 1987 Pikes Peak hillclimb. It was built by VW
Motorsport in Hanover and features two engines: one in the front and one in
the back. The engines operate separately, which means that the car can be a
FWD, RWD or AWD at the flick of a switch.
The car utilises two 4-cylinder units, each with a
capacity of 1.8 litres. Both engines are exactly the same and reach their maximum
power of 320bhp at 7,200rpm, producing a combined output of
640bhp when the two are run in tandem.
Another cool Golf was this MkI Rally ‘Pierburg’ recreation, which was built from the ground up by the guys at KWL Motorsport during 2011. The original ‘Pierburg’
was built in 1981 and competed in the German Rally Championship. It was one of
the first Golfs that was fitted with the Oettinger 16-valve cylinder head.
Volkswagen really emphasised its racing
history at Techno Classica. Here is another example of that fact: Nothelle Tuning built this eye-catching
MkI. It was the first racing Golf in the world even before there was a Golf
GTI. It competed against the BMW 1602 in Group 2, the forerunner of the Group A racing
series.
Because the GTI wasn’t even born at that
time, Nothelle had to invent a lot of stuff themselves. They worked closely
together with Solex and were able to extract almost 175bhp from this little 1.6-litre engine.
Audi is no stranger to racing and displayed some prime examples of their competition heritage. The audience wasn’t really interested in
this Audi 80 GL but were instead mesmerised by a video screen behind another car…
…this Sport Quattro S1. The screen showed the
maiden voyage of this actual car at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb – you can watch the video right HERE. Oh, and don’t forget to turn up the volume!
This car won the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in 1987
with Walther Rohrl behind the steering wheel.
I’m sure you guys noticed the ‘Back in the
USA – July 8, 2012′ sign in front of the car. I’m not sure of the specifics, but
it seems that Audi will be returning to Pikes Peak. Will it be with this car or an entirely new build? I guess we will find out soon enough.
I believe that this Auto Union is a Type C, as it still has the 16-cylinder engine
that would later be replaced with the supercharged
V12 engine in the Type D. Some real automotive history right there.
A car I had never seen before was this
NSU/Wankel Spider. It was built between 1964 and 1967 and was the first production
car with a Wankel rotary engine.
I didn’t managed to find a lot of info on
this Audi Quattro except that it was built by Rudiger Noll. It still sees
action at selected events in Germany.
You are probably looking at the most
expensive spare wheel in the world right now.
Long before Porsche toyed with the idea of
an SUV, Lamborghini built this LM002. It has a 5.2-litre V12 with 440bhp and a 200kph top speed. Only 301 of these cars were built and most of them were sold to
rich oil sheiks.
Even in this day and age it still feels
like I’m looking at a prototype concept. This Countach came straight from the Lamborghini
museum floor in Sant’Agata Bolognese.
We visited the museum in back 2009. If you want to relive our experience then take a look HERE – you can even catch a glimpse of this exact
same car.
My
next feature will be about Porsche, so don’t miss it tomorrow!
Jeroen Willemsen
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Oh my god. Pikes peak spec A1 Quattro? Holy crap yes please.
Many fine auto's here. The A1 Quattro is just sick. It's funny how your taste changes with age. I remember, when I was a kid, that I hated the look of the early Countach's. Too plain compared to the crazy wing-and-scoop-everywhere later models. Now, I look at that concept and admire how graceful it looks.
That green Countach is speechless !
SEAT stay in this event, and you dont take photos... ;(
Belongs to the groupe Vw.
loving those Audi's.. and the Nothelle pre GTi Mark 1 Golf - looks like Pikes Peak will get very interesting in the near future - Thanks
I got a scale model of the Lambo LM002. haha
These vintage golf race cars are incredible. It's the perfect example of a tuned,well engineered compact car destined for far more than originally intended.
Another great posts with some awesome rally cars. Keep up the good work!
Lamborghini Suv Oozes Rough tough shoormantogruf!
Despite the fact that Volkswagen owns almost half of Porsche I wanted to dedicate a separate post to
Always loved the simple and elegant lines of that lambo in its early design style. priceless.
Some info on the Quattro:
25 years after Walter Röhrl drifted up Pikes Peak in the Audi Sport quattro S1 and set a record that still stands today, the two greats will be reuniting in 2012. On July 8, Röhrl will be driving in the famous hill climb, also known as the Race to the Clouds, for the second time. Spectators in the U.S. state of Colorado will be able to relive a milestone in the history of Audi Sport when the Rally Driver of the Century takes the wheel of the original Audi Sport quattro S1. Beginning today, Audi Tradition is providing a foretaste of the famous hill climb at Techno Classica, the worlds largest trade show for classic cars, in Essen. Walter Röhrl will also be on hand for an autograph session.
On July 11, 1987, rally legend Walter Röhrl stepped on the accelerator of the nearly 600 hp Audi Sport quattro S1 and climbed the mountain in just 10 minutes and 48 seconds. No driver had ever been faster up the unpaved dirt road. It was a milestone in the history of the oldest hill climb in the United States and also a milestone for Audi. Faster times were recorded later, but only after paving of the course, which has now been completed, had begun.
25 years after his victory, Walter Röhrl is taking the Monster up the mountain for the second time on July 8. Not under race conditions this time, but it will still be challenging enough. The course snakes through 150 curves over nearly 20 kilometres and finishes at the 4,301 metre summit.
Those who are unable to attend in July have an opportunity to get a feel for the famous race at Techno Classica, the worlds largest classic car show, which opens today in Essen. Audi Tradition, the corporate history department at AUDI AG, is presenting winning hill climb cars at a 700 square metre stand in Hall 7. The highlight is the Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak.
But not only the original rally car will be on display, the champion himself will also be there. Walter Röhrl will be at the Audi stand for an exclusive autograph session on Sunday, March 25. Racing enthusiasts and Audi fans will have the opportunity to get to know the rally legend from 2.00 to 3.00 p.m.
Walter Röhrl to climb Pikes Peak again
21 March 2012, Ingolstadt
I would kill to be able to take that little NSU Spider for a spin on a nice mountain road.
Volevo maggiori informazioni per quanto riguarda i codolini della golf gti