Volkswagen Gets Gassy At the ‘Ring
Volkswagen is making another run at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race with its natural gas Sciroccos and released a bunch of photos of the car ahead of the race.
The Germans are sending three Scirocco GT24-CNG racers to run the ‘Ring against conventional cars and alt-fuel racers like two diesel Peugeot CRZs. The two cars VW entered last year swept the alt-fuel field, but then they were the only cars in the class. Still, one of them took 17th overall, which isn’t a bad showing.
Each car has a 2-liter TSI turbocharged engine running on bio-gas VW says is produced from renewable feedstock. VW claims it emits 80 percent less CO2. Car No. 16 has an active electro-hydraulic differential that combines the functional principle of a conventional locking differential with improved handling, reducing the car’s tendency to understeer. VW says it’s similar to traction control but doesn’t limit the engine’s power output.
The action starts Thursday with qualifying. The race starts Saturday.
Photos: Volkswagen. More after the jump.
This is the view of the GT24-CNG that VW hopes most of the field has. One of its natural gas ‘roccos finished 17th overall last year.
Car No. 116 will be driven by suits and scribes — VW board member Ulrich Hackenberg, VW chassis development boss Stefan Gies and moto-journalists Bernd Ostmann (Auto Motor und Sport) and Peter Wyss (Automobilrevue).
VW gets artsy with a photo of the 2.0-liter turborcharged engine under the hood of one of the CNG ‘roccos.
Pit stops won’t be this relaxed, and the guy with the fuel nozzle won’t be this casually dressed.
Insert fuel here.
VW says the CNG was produced from renewable sources and cuts CO2 emissions 80 percent.
Source: Autopia
