Volkswagen Polo R WRC

Get set for the most powerful Polo ever: the limited-edition 217bhp Volkswagen Polo R WRC. It’s been Launched to coincide with VW’s World Rally Championship campaign and will sit above the Polo GTI in the range.

It features a racy look with 18-inch ‘Cagliari’ rally-inspired alloys, a unique front bumper and grille and white paintwork with blue and grey rally stripes on its doors and bonnet.

All 2,500 of the Polo R WRCs will be finished in this rally paint scheme, and beneath the glitzy stripes is the hot Polo we’ve been expecting for a while, complete with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual.

The 217bhp output is 39bhp more than the Polo GTI gets, but more important is the massive 350Nm of torque, a staggering 100Nm more than in the GTI. It’s good enough to send the R WRC from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and on to 151mph. That’s half a second quicker than the Polo GTI, and two tenths faster than the Mk7 Golf GTI that was shown at the Paris Motor Show in September.

Although VW hasn’t released an interior shot, we understand the hot Polo has WRC-themed seats, an Alcantara-covered steering wheel and aluminium pedals. Yet it’s not a stripped-out special, as there’s cruise control, a centre armrest, climate control and sat-nav as standard.

The Polo R WRC costs €33,900 (£27,320) in Germany, but the sad news is that production is limited to left-hand-drive cars, meaning none are earmarked for the UK. VW has also stated that there are no plans for a full-production Polo R in its line-up, but success in the WRC could prompt a Polo R to join the range.

VW UK is also considering a WRC-themed styling pack for the Polo, which could include the R WRC’s alloys, paint and stripes.