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StarLight Garage presents the Volkswagen SCRC, not a factory one but one from the British Prodrive.
It will soon present as the rally car for a Chinese Rally Championship.
Prodrive has developed a new rally car based on the latest VW Golf mark VII. The car, called the VW Golf SCRC, has been designed for the FAW-VW Rally Team for the Chinese Rally Championship and will make its debut in the series this weekend (7-9 November) at the Longyou Rally with Chris Atkinson driving.
Prodrive has developed the all-new car in less than six months and while it has not been designed to FIA regulations, many of the major components are the same as those found in current World Rally Cars, while the roll cage and safety features encompass the latest FIA standards.
"We have very much built the car to the spirit of the WRC regulations, but with the Chinese Rally regulations in mind," said John Gaw, Prodrive Motorsport managing director. "There is more freedom in the Chinese regulations and that has helped us to create this car in such a short time frame. However, while the first cars will initially compete in China, the car can readily be modified to compete in most 'open' class rally series, of which there are many in Europe, Asia and North America."
One of the key differentiators between the Golf SCRC and current World Rally Cars, is that it has a two litre turbocharged engine with a 35 mm restrictor, compared to the 1600cc 33 mm restricted engines found in the WRC. However, the drivetrain is WRC-spec and features the same six speed sequential Xtrac WRC gearbox and rear differential found in most of the current World Rally Cars.
Prodrive was able to create the car in such a short timescale, by using the generic rally car model it had initially developed prior to creating its MINI John Cooper Works WRC. "We inputted data such as the dimensions, centre of gravity and minimum weight, as well as the positions of key items like the engine and gearbox to create the Golf," said Gaw. "We then looked at every component and element of the car and identified where we could improve it. Around 80 per cent of the car is all new and the remaining components are either common components you would find on all current WRCs or those where we genuinely believe we already have the best part possible."
The cars aero, and in particular the composite rear wing, were all developed in-house. The bodywork is predominantly the standard steel panels from a five door Golf, but with specially developed flexible carbon composite front and rear bumpers and wings. These impact resistant panels are far more durable and help maintain the aerodynamic performance at the front.
The Golf SCRC has Macpherson strut suspension front and rear with Prodrive-Ohlins dampers and hydraulic compression stops. Many of the suspension components, including the anti-roll bars and uprights, are interchangeable front to rear to minimise the number of spares. The car also has a standard AP Racing WRC brake package.
Specifications
Built in: Banbury, England
Introduced in: 2014
Internal name: A7 / Type 5G
Designed by: Prodrive
Engine
Configuration: Straight 4
Location: Front, transversely mounted
Construction: Aluminium block and head
Displacement: 2 liter / 122 cu in
Valvetrain: 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed: Fuel Injection
Aspiration: Garrett Turbo
Power: 300 bhp / 224 KW
BHP/Liter: 150 bhp / liter
Drivetrain
Body: Steel panels with carbon-fibre rear wing and front and rear bumpers
Chassis: Unitary steel
Suspension: (front/rear) McPherson struts, three-way adjustable dampers
Steering: Rack-and-pinion, hydraulic power assistance
Brakes: Ventilated discs, all-round
Gearbox: XTrac 6 speed Sequential
Drive: All wheel drive
Dimensions
Weight: 1150 kilo / 2535.3 lbs
Length: 4268 mm (168 in)
Width: 1820 mm (71.7 in)
Height: N/A
Wheels: 8 x 18
Performance figures
Power to weight: 0.26 bhp/kg
THE OTHER VW'S ARE HERE:
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