Volkswagen Virtus GT race car to replace Vento Cup Car

Continuing the legacy of Polo and Vento race cars in the history of Indian motorsports, Volkswagen has introduced a new successor which will take charge in motorsports – the all-new Virtus GT Touring. Like the Vento race car, the new Volkswagen Virtus GT race car is based on the stock version of the Virtus midsize sedan which was launched in 2022.

Volkswagen has introduced a host of visual and mechanical changes in the car, which makes it look race-ready and sportier than the stock version of the car. The Virtus GT race car has been prepped up by Volkswagen Motorsports, which announced the details of the car on its Instagram handle. The car shown in the pictures sports the same Cherry Red paint scheme as the stock Virtus GT. However, this car gets a host of body decals and Volkswagen Motorsport letterings and graphics on the C-pillars, rear door panels and boot lid.

Also read: Volkswagen Polo and Vento Matt Edition launched

Apart from the large decals, the Volkswagen Virtus GT race car gets a lowered ride height, which makes the car looks more planted than the stock car, which has a ground clearance of 179mm. The Virtus GT race car also gets sportier-looking alloy wheels with large lower-profile tyres over them. Unlike the stock car, the Virtus GT race car gets side-mounted dual exhaust pipes, which are placed between both doors and have a snarlier exhaust note.

Volkswagen has only revealed the exterior details of the Virtus GT race car, while the details of the interior are yet to be revealed. However, it is expected that like the Vento race car, the Virtus GT race car will also get a roll cage and a bare-basic all-black cabin. The car will also have a stripped design with only the dashboard and instrument console retained from the stock car. The car will also get racing bucket seats with a six-point harness for the driver. Other than that, it will miss out on all the comfort and convenience features of the car, to keep the overall weight in check.

300 Nm of torque

The new Volkswagen Virtus GT race car will get the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged TSI petrol engine as the stock Virtus GT. However, the engine here has been tuned to deliver higher power and torque outputs. The engine now produces 215 PS of maximum power output and 300 Nm of maximum torque output – around 65 PS and 50 Nm more than the stock version. It also gets a different 6-speed sequential manual gearbox, against the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission of the stock Virtus GT.

While Volkswagen is yet to announce the race debut of the Virtus GT race car, it is expected that it will mark its debut at the MRF MMSC FMSCI India National Racing Championship 2022.

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