Wednesday 5th November 2014

Prodrive Golf rally car

WRC cars too weedy for you? Get yourself to China with one of Prodrive's 300hp+ Golf rally cars

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The Impreza WRX for our conservative modern era, the Golf R seems to have nailed all the things we used to love about our Scoobies and toned them down for acceptability in polite society. Less Maccy D's car park, rather more Waitrose. The basic formula of whooshy turbo power, all weather four-wheel drive B-road 'progress' and signature metallic blue paint are all carried over. Just more tastefully done.

Golf just white goods? Look again...

Final nail in the coffin comes with news that Subaru's long-time rallying and road car performance partner Prodrive is now going rallying with a bloody Golf. Tsk. They'll be putting gold wheels and a bonnet scoop on it next.

Like a WRC car but more so and built specifically to compete in the Chinese Rally Championships, the Prodrive Golf will make its debut this weekend at the Longyou Rally (really) with Chris Atkinson at the wheel. Yes, even the driver is an ex-Subaru man, perhaps a neat analogy for your typical Golf R customer.

Although built to the same basic standards, the Golf SCRC uses a 2.0-litre engine rather than the 1.6s of WRC cars. With a 35mm restrictor rather than the 33mm WRC cars run Prodrive is claiming over 300hp, the transmission being the default WRC spec Xtrac six-speed sequential. By using the same MacPherson strut suspension front and back uprights and anti-roll bars are all interchangeable, reducing the number of spares the team needs to carry, Ohlins dampers and WRC spec AP brakes completing the top notch parts spec.

Rear wing best described as 'adequate'

Interestingly the Golf was designed to a template Prodrive describes as "a generic rally car model ... developed prior to creating its Mini John Cooper Works WRC." This apprently sped up development considerably. "We inputted data such as the dimensions, centre of gravity and minimum weight, as well as the positions of key items like the engine and gearbox to create the Golf," says Prodrive Motorsport MD John Gaw. "We then looked at every component and element of the car and identified where we could improve it. Around 80 per cent of the car is all new and the remaining components are either common components you would find on all current WRCs or those where we genuinely believe we already have the best part possible."

Although the 2.0-litre engine rules the Golf out of WRC (the Polo seems to be doing an adequate job as it is...) Prodrive has designed the car with other series in mind, including the World Rallycross Championship and 'open' class rallies in Europe Asia and North America.

Will, as it did with the Impreza, inspire a generation of Golf owners to ape the rally car's hoped success by making their road cars into bodykitted and liveried homages? We'll see about that one.

[GrumpyTwig]

Confirmation Golf's are at least 80% boring.

[hondansx]

GrumpyTwig said:

Confirmation Golf's are at least 80% boring.

Who is Golf?

[Blayney]

I'd still have a scoob instead.

[FordMan1]

Proof once again at just how good this country is at producing motorsport professionals and building top of the range vehicles.

Malcolm Wilson and Dave Richards truly have triumphed in this sense.

[PorkRind]

Haldex?

[Munter]

FordMan1 said:

Proof once again at just how good this country is at producing motorsport professionals and building top of the range vehicles.

Malcolm Wilson and Dave Richards truly have triumphed in this sense.

Well hang on. We still don't know if it's any good.

I'm assuming it is. But proof in the eating etc.

[Chris Eyre]

PorkRind said:

Haldex?

Xtrac WRC transmission

[Baryonyx]

Not arsed about the boring Golf, but rallying in China...now that is an interesting idea!

[griffdude]

I wonder why they used the 5 door shell? Thought a 3 door would be better?

[ManOpener]

griffdude said:

I wonder why they used the 5 door shell? Thought a 3 door would be better?

A few cars- E36 3-series for instance- have better structural rigidity in more-door form than less-door. Also, strangely lighter.
Could be something like that?

[anonymous-user]

griffdude said:

I wonder why they used the 5 door shell? Thought a 3 door would be better?

In China, you show status by being "Driven" and not by "Driving". Hence 4 doors!

[soxboy]

griffdude said:

I wonder why they used the 5 door shell? Thought a 3 door would be better?

Maybe the rules stipulate it, or possibly from a marketing point of view as they may not sell the 3dr in China.

[rallycross]

Compared to that hippopotamus ugly fat 5 door SUV Mini the 5 door Golf rally car is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold!

[Chris Eyre]

5 doors for marketing reasons.

Prodrive: "It's a Golf five door rather than a Polo or three door at the client's request. The Golf is the car they would like to promote in China and the five door is the popular version".

[Escort Si-130]

Golf R more Waitrose???? Please PH stop chatting BS in your articles.

[Baryonyx]

Escort Si-130 said:

Golf R more Waitrose???? Please PH stop chatting BS in your articles.

More Asda, at a push!

[sanctum]

The Golf R is not a modern Subaru Impreza replacement, the Impreza was a bargain performance vehicle, the Golf R? Not so much of a bargain.

[soxboy]

sanctum said:

The Golf R is not a modern Subaru Impreza replacement, the Impreza was a bargain performance vehicle, the Golf R? Not so much of a bargain.

It is if you can lease one!

[EDLT]

How is a massive wing nailed to the back of a golf classy?

[dukebox9reg]

rallycross said:

Compared to that hippopotamus ugly fat 5 door SUV Mini the 5 door Golf rally car is a thing of beauty and a joy to behold!

The Countryman is smaller than the Golf........