VW To Unveil Touareg V12 TDI Race Truck at L.A. Show

Volkswagen's LA Auto Show Touareg racer has as much in common with the firm's production SUV as a typewriter has with a laptop but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Touareg TDI Trophy Truck is a purpose-built racer or to put it simple, the ultimate dune buggy and it will compete in the 634-mile long 41st Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race. VW's professional dune buggy is powered by a 5.5 liter V12 clean turbo diesel engine that produces 550 horsepower and 625 lbs.-ft. of torque and is mated to an Xtrac 6 Speed Sequential transmission.

The Race Touareg TDI Trophy Truck features a wheelbase of 125 inches, overall length of 213 inches, width of 92 inches, an overall height of 78 inches and weighs in at a hefty 5,650 pounds or 2,562 kg for those that prefer the metric system.

The vehicle sports a double A-Arm front suspension that allows 25 inches of wheel travel, and a 4-link rear suspension that allows 30 inches of wheel travel, combined with Fox Racing Shocks and Eibach Coils while sitting on BFGoodrich Baja KRT 37x13.5x17 off-road tires

Volkswagen-Red Bull Baja Race Touareg TDI

Specifications

  Powertrain

•   Engine             5.5 Liter, 90 degree V-12 TDI Twin Turbo Diesel
  

•   Valve train        4 valves per cylinder, DOHC
  

•   Induction          Dual Garrett TR 30 R with dual 43.5mm air-restrictors, 2.94 bar (absolute) pressure
  

•   Emissions          Dow Automotive Diesel Particle Filters (2)
  

•   Horsepower         550 HP (405kW)
  

•   Torque             625 ft-lb (850Nm)
  

•   Layout             Mid-engine, rear wheel drive
  

•   Transmission       Xtrac 6 Speed Sequential
  

•   Rear Axle          Custom Built solid 9" Rear Axle
  

  Suspension

•   Front              Double A-Arm Suspension - 25" wheel travel  (63 cm)
  

•   Rear               4-Link Rear Suspension - 30" wheel travel  (76 cm)
  

•   Front Shocks       Fox Racing Shocks - 3.0 Coil-over with 3.0,  Bypass/Multi-adjustable Dampener
  

•   Rear Shocks        Fox Racing Shocks - 3.0 Coil-over with 3.0, Bypass/Multi-adjustable Dampener
  

•   Springs            Eibach Coils
  

•   Wheels             KMC 17" Custom Forged Beadlock
  

•   Tires              BFGoodrich Baja KRT 37x13.5x17
  

  General

•   Owner              Volkswagen of America Inc.
  

•   Chassis Design     Arciero Miller Racing
  

•   Body Design        Volkswagen Design Center California
  

  Dimensions

•   Wheelbase          125 in. (317 cm)
  

•   Overall Length     213 in. (541 cm)
  

•   Track Width        92 in.  (233 cm)
  

•   Overall Height     78 in. (198 cm)
  

•   Weight             5650 lbs. (2562 kg)
  

•   Brakes             Brembo 6 Piston Calipers
  

•   Steering           Lee Manufacturing
  

•   Interior
  

•   GPS                Lowrance 9200 system
  

•   Seats              Sparco Carbon Fiber Racing seats
  

•   Fuel Cell          65 Gallon (240 Liter) Capacity, designed by Harmon Fuel Cells
  

•   Sponsors           Sponsored by Red Bull, BFGoodrich Tires, Dow Automotive, Oakley, KMC Wheels, Fox Shocks.