VW Golf set for TCR touring car championship

New GTI TCR is a Golf R on steroids – and it’s coming to a race track near you very soon

Volkswagen has unveiled a brand new contender for the TCR touring car crown – and it takes its iconic Golf GTI namesake and raises it to a whole new level.

The heavily modified GTI TCR track racer is based on the Type R, and has been developed for the 2016 international touring car series that gets underway later in March. The front-wheel-drive machine boasts a 4cm-wider platform, full-race sequential transmission, plus 325bhp and 302lb ft. Its suspension is multi-adjustable in just about every area, and the crazy bodywork sports wide wheelarches and a huge rear wing. The whole thing weighs just 1.2 tonnes.

VW has already sold its full production run of 20 to international TCR teams.