2019 Volkswagen Touareg R50
In a world premiere, Volkswagen will be presenting the Volkswagen Touareg R50 on October 11 at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Its power of 258 kW / 350 PS (at 3,500 rpm) positions the new Touareg version among the most powerful SUVs in the world. The Volkswagen Touareg R50 can be ordered in Germany at prices starting at 88,260 Euro; it will be introduced to the market this November. The engine characteristic of the Volkswagen Touareg R50 is marked by a torque level nearly unattainable by the competition: The V10 TDI of the Volkswagen Touareg R50 develops its enormous power of 850 Newton-meter at a low 2,000 rpm. The turbo diesel was derived from the well-known ten cylinder with 230 kW / 313 PS. Adjustments to its turbo charging and modified engine management enabled a 28 kW / 37 PS increase in power and a considerable 100 Newton-meter increase in maximum torque. Under these new parameters, the SUV accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds (production car: 7.4 seconds); its top speed is 235 km/h. In relation to engine power and vehicle size, the fuel consumption of the production ten-cylinder diesel equipped with a particulate filter is a moderate 9.6 liters per 100 km (highway) and 12.6 liters per 100 km (overall). Despite big gains in power and torque, its DIN fuel consumption values have remained constant compared to the Touareg V10 TDI. In keeping with the performance potential of the R50, Volkswagen Individual designed new exterior and interior features according to the R philosophy. Offered exclusively on the Volkswagen Touareg R50 is the car color "Biscay blue". On the inside, the SUV's features include a sport seating system in anthracite-colored nappa leather with R50 logo integrated in the headrests. The logo was also integrated in the stainless steel tread plates.
In fact I soon found out I could hustle the car along at surprisingly good speeds. With four friends and their luggage and the suspension fairly flattened I found the air cooled VW sat squarely and handled even better, much to the disquiet of my friends. It had one strange quirk through which was never accurately traced but we suspect came from the worn bushes on the entire front end. Like most owners I carried a graduated stick in the front boot and you calculated your mileage and dipped as you travelled. But there was a reserve petrol tap. Even in those days the car had a heater which was in effect hot air from around the exhaust system and engine compartment re-routed into the cabin by levers on the centre tunnel. I got to truly love my Beetle. In those days they were plentiful and fairly cheap. It ended up a beach buggy.
A friend and me unbolted the body in about an hour. Rolled it off the floorpan and installed the new aluminium body in about another hour. A little bit of wiring and we were ready to go. So a total car transformation in an afternoon. We called up a truck and they took the body to the tip. Have you or your family ever owned a Classic VW? Was it a Beetle? Was it a Karmann Ghia? Was it a Type34 Nothback? Was it a Type34 Fastback? Was it a Type 34 Variant? Or, how about a VW Microbus? Its very important to include in the VW Beetle history some other models successfully produced under the VW umbrella. The one probably most known is the Karmann Ghia. The Karmann Ghia had quite a long production life of between 1955 until 1974, with very few changes in that period. Both coupes and convertibles were manufactured. It combined the chassis of the VW Beetle along with the coachbuilding abilities of the German manufacturer - Karmann. 455,000 Karmann Ghias were produced over the 19 year production period, with a surprising amount still around even though rust issues were ever present.
Although they were initially powered by the 1192cc single solex engines, with an option of power from a 1195cc with twin Solex carburetters, they were eventually powered by 1500 and 1600cc Beetle engine versions. The Type 34 is my personal favorite in another chapter of VW Beetle history. They were introduced in 1961 with a 1500cc engine. Its difficult to understand how they ever got through the Boardroom. At the time VW were having a great run with the Karmann Ghia, so why introduce yet another sports car to the range. My guess is that the Type 34 was basically a much more upmarket version of the Karmann Ghia, with options in 1963 such as an electrically operated sunroof. There were also a lot more padded areas in the Type 34 as opposed to the Karmann Ghia. It was also larger inside and faster. I've probably just answered my own question. There's very few Type 34's around these days (although there are quite a lot on the road in Australia).
Rust issues in the Type 34 were plentiful as they had lots of internal sealed welded panels. Restoration jobs because of this can be hugely more expensive than what the car is actually worth when once restored. Only 42,000 were ever produced and they cost the equivalent of two Beetles in their day. Production ended in 1969. Today the estimate is that 1500 - 2000 remain. In 1961 VW introduced the Type 3, on its own completely different chassis to the Beetle. The Type 3 was available in Fastback, Notchback and Estate forms, all with four seats but two doors. The Notchback was introduced first, followed closely by the Estate, which was called the Variant. The Fastback entered production in 1965. The Fastback had a 1600cc engine, whereas the Notchback and Variant both came with a 1500cc engine. When production ceased in 1973 over two and a half million had been manufactured across the three versions. When covering VW Beetle history, the Type 34 is a very much loved part of it for all enthusiasts. 0 of 8192 characters usedPost CommentNo HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites. Buses are cool. I've had two.
