Rabbit on 'roids: Abt tunes the Volkswagen R32
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It was only a matter of time before Abt got its hands on a Volkswagen R32. The hot hatch is no slouch in stock form with 250 horsepower, but Abt has boosted output to 370 bhp via a supercharger complete with a water-cooled intercooler. This knocks the 0-60 mph time down to 5.0 seconds flat and raises the top speed to 167 mph. Abt has also fitted the R32 with an adjustable sport suspension, as well as 19-inch BR wheels. Follow the jump for the press release.
Gallery: Abt Volkswagen R32
[Source: Abt Sportline]
PRESS RELEASE:
The R32 is already designed as a super sports car. People who buy this Golf want an extremely fast compact car. A racing car in golf's clothing, suitable for every day use. ABT has put such an extraordinary car on dynamic 19-inch BR-wheels: instead of serial 250hp (184kW) the ABT R32 now delivers enormous 370hp (272kW). This immense plus in power of 120hp is possible thanks to a modified motor management and the use of the ABT compressor kit combined with a water-cooled intercooler. All components are tuned perfectly to the potent V6 by the Kempten engineers, and therefore offer permanently impressing driving values: for example, the ABT R32 sprints from 0 to 100km/h in just 5.0 seconds, compared to 6.2 seconds for the serial R32. The top speed is more than 270km/h. Particularly impressing is how the tuned engine is getting it on: the six-cylinder engine accelerates just as smoothly as powerfully in every rpm-range. „The R32 is as much fun on the motor way as on winding country roads", explains Hans-Jürgen Abt. Small wonder, as the Kempten Golfer is equipped with the ABT adjustable sports suspension harmonizing perfectly with the 370 horses of the V6.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John Johnson 9:40AM (4/12/2008)
I wonder how the DSG will hold up :/
As it is now, it has to be serviced every 40,000 miles. Can't imagine what this'll do to it. But hey, people don't buy VWs (especailly R32s) for their reliability. This comes from a VW owner, so none of you start hating on me :P.
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RidinLow 9:53AM (4/12/2008)
What needs to be done every 40k mi? DSG sounds like a neat idea, but not if it's as fragile as another VW componentry.
John Johnson 9:55AM (4/12/2008)
Fluid and filter need to be changed because it uses "wet" clutches. So far they don't seem to really break unless you almost try to break them, but with enough power, I'm not sure.
nagmashot 11:20AM (4/12/2008)
The DSG 6 speed tranny from VW can handle much more power as it needs to handle in the R32.
The German Tuner HGP offer VW R32 upgrades up to 640hp and 800Nm (590 ft.lbs) making the R32 the fastest hatchbak in the world which hold since 3 or 4 years the world record for the highest topspeed in a streetlegal hatchback.. currently the record is ~210mph.
HGP offer several upgrade kit for the BorgWarner clutch in the VW DSG tranny. The Tranny itself stays untouched.. only the last gear is replaced if the customer whichs much higher topspeeds.. to 315km/h (196mph) at 7000rpm in last gear
ambientFLIER 4:00PM (4/12/2008)
If the DSG was so strong, VW would have used the 3.6 VR6 and made an R36 instead. They said the tranny couldn't stand up to additional power and torque of the engine.
nagmashot 6:21AM (4/13/2008)
@ambientFLier
better inform yourself befor posting BULL S H I T.....!!!!!
The 6speed DSG is the only tranny avaible in the 300hp 3.6l V6 Passat R36, Passat CC 3.6l 4motion etc..
Matt 1:27PM (4/15/2008)
Pretty sure the R32 was not the R36 due to the price point, as well as final-stage cooling issues in that power plant compared to the 3.2 that's seemingly being cooled efficiently despite the small(ish) engine bay.
Avinash machado 9:45AM (4/12/2008)
You know hot hatches seem to the new muscle cars. The muscle car formula of the sixties was to drop in a huge high powered engine in a normal sized car which meant great power to weight ratios and insane performance. Today the hot hatches follow a similar formula. So perhaps the hot hatches are the spiritual successors of the hot hatches.
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epilonious 10:26AM (4/12/2008)
I would say things like the Nissan GT-R and Dodge Challenger SRT-8 are the logical progression of muscle cars. Big, Heavy cars that are just riduculously overpowered and can still beat things like hot hatches and pass everything but a gas station.
Hot hatches are the logical progression of... hot hatches. The R-32 is the new millennium's version of the thunder-bunnies and GTI's of yore. And like muscle cars, it involves putting new power tech and bigger/turbocharged engines into cars that weighed a lot more than they used-to.
rouse42 10:11AM (4/12/2008)
The Haldex system has been holding up pretty well.
HPA has been building 550hp Twin Turbo R32 for a while now.
they do 0-60 in 3.2
but they cost an arm and a leg.
wonder what that car would do on the Ring?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7EPZWFNPq4
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nagmashot 6:29AM (4/13/2008)
HPA only sells the stuff from HGP.. funny that they showed the engine bay only half so that you can´t see the HGP sticker in the HPA car :)
tankd0g 10:16AM (4/12/2008)
5 seconds seems a little slow geven what the claimed time for the STI is. Is the supercharger made of lead?
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Mike 5:15PM (4/12/2008)
I was thinking the same thing. If a Mustang GT can hustle a few hundred pounds more mass to 60 in 5 seconds with only 300hp, then I would have expected this to dip into the high fours.
Shame about those wheels, too.
Paul 11:02AM (4/12/2008)
This looks like a photochop. Look at the wheels.
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mammy 11:12AM (4/12/2008)
It does look like a photochop, but I don't think it is. I would be scared going 167mph in a car like that.
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Mike 12:24PM (4/12/2008)
heh i remember having a Toyota FX-16 which is basically the same car just a foot or so shorter, and it has watertight compartments in the back seat area that were seemingly made to hold a 6pack of beer >.< Not to mention it had a turbo button lol
But yea, little hatchbacks with lots of horsepower are loads of fun :) Didn't the R32 set a record involving something about gforce going around a turn?
zamafir 4:39PM (4/12/2008)
the MKV chassis is incredibly solid at speed. I've hit 160 (speedo, 147 gps) in a chipped 2.0T on the I-90. Pretty fun.
HeyHuub 9:20AM (4/13/2008)
Why would you be scared doing that speed in such a car? Just because it's a hatchback you don't trust it at high speeds? Have you ever driven a modern small/midsize hatchback?
At that, the stock R32 is already limited at 155mph.
nagmashot 11:28AM (4/12/2008)
This R32 from Abt is nothing special. There are since years much more hardcore versions of it avaible in Europe.
http://www.hgp-turbo.de/images/GolfV36Nardo.gif
currently the fastest hatchback in the world. Set new topspeed record last year during a tuner highspeed test at Nardo Italy.
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nagmashot 11:35AM (4/12/2008)
ops forgott the technical data..
640hp 6950rpm
800Nm 3800rpm
0-100km/h (62mph) 3.6s
0-160km/h (100mph) 6.8s
0-200km/h (125mph) 9.9s
0-300km/h (187mph) 28.3s