A concept design sketch is reportedly teasing the 2017 Volkswagen Polo R World Rally Championship car. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced new regulations in the summer of 2015 and the 2017 Polo R WRC has been in development since then.
Volkswagen announced that the next season's rally car will include "many spectacular technical innovations for the World Rally Championship", according to the publication Autocar. The 2017 Polo R WRC will be 50mm wider and 25kg lighter than the 2016 model. The rally car will provide a power output increased by 60 HP, accordingly to the new FIA regulations. The car will deliver roughly 380 HP.
According to the manufacturer, the air restrictor has being widened from 33mm to 36mm in order to achieve this power increase. Other design changes have been made to the front and rear spoilers that became larger and broader respectively.
The manufacturer has already tested extensively the technical aspects of the new car. However, by the start of the 2017 season next January, the exterior look of the Polo R WRC will significantly change.
As reported by the publication Autoevolution, the rally car will come with more tweaks to improve downforce, thanks to more flexible rules regarding aerodynamic features. From the concept sketch released it seems that the Polo R WRC will have an aggressive look. However, the final look will be only seen at the next year's Monte Carlo Rally.
Jost Capito, VW Motorsport director, said that all the experience their teams have gained in recent years will be incorporated in the World Rally Cars of the future. He added that these cars will become safer, while being considerably more dynamic as well.
Capito also has stated that the Polo R WRC will come with a significant performance improvement, allowed by the new FIA regulations for the 2017 race season. The turbocharged 1.6-liter engine will feature an air restrictor with the width increased by 0.11 inches and the power transmission will use an electronic center differential.
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