It was presented at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. It set a tone for what Volkswagen can achieve in sports. A convertible two-seater that reaches 250 km/h on the golf platform.
Murat Günak and Peter Schreyer are responsible for the design of the project. Its development shows how VW could present a sports car. With a legacy of the 1995 VW Corrado, a lot of styling and engineering work combine to achieve a car whose appearance appears to be powerful, and that really is under the hood.
It was surprising that VW worked so much on the lines of the vehicle, that it combines facets of large curvature radii with excellent functionality in every detail in its interior. It seemed that Volkswagen really would be involved in developing some sports car for the street.
The Concept R also looked forward to its performance: it has a center-front V6 engine that delivers 265 horsepower and reaches a torque of 258 lbs-foot at 2800 rpm. It allows you to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds and reach an electronically self-limited maximum speed of 250 km/h. Theoretically, without the limiter it would reach 270 km/h without problems. The transmission used is the DSG (Direct Selection Gearbox) 6-speed manual gearbox.
The designers decided that the Concept R should have contrasting colors, so the body was painted in a light gray called “cold sky” and the interior in a dark “dark earth”.
The way to achieve surfaces free of ornament and sharp interruptions comes from the use of well-defined lines that delimit sections. It then continues with the design philosophy of models such as the New Beetle, the Touareg 4x4 and the Phaeton.
It also has its own elements, even avante garde, such as the suggested V shape on the front that delimits the front optics and the air intakes for the V6 radiator. On its sides two deep entrances carry air to the front brake discs. The front also has a chrome grid on which they posed a large VW logo.
The sides feature a soft waist line. On either side of the VW, at the base of the body, a line emerges towards the center of the rear wheels. It has bulky catwalks with wide frames to suggest an imposing figure, complementing this intention with very wide 5-ray rims.
Elegance is present in the transparent finish of the front and rear optics. A novelty was the use of LEDs for the front lights. As soon as they turn on, you can see a hard beam of light forward. Then they begin to increase their light output but the beam becomes more diffuse.
The interior of this two-seater harmonizes the use of metal and plastic materials with the obvious functionality of the instruments. It is small as the whole car, which measures 4.160 mm long and 1.780 mm wide. Combines design elements that only bring beauty with state-of-the-art instruments. A clear example of style is the intangible VW emblem, that is, it is not materialized, but when the car lights the steering wheel it has an OLED display in its center that draws the logo. Looks like it was real and chrome plated.
As far as the instruments are concerned, it has a hardness adjustment of the seats springs. This makes it possible to compensate for the type of terrain so as not to feel that one jumps in the chair. The drive is electronic. Another interesting detail is that the seats do not run, but it is the steering wheel and the pedalboard that do.
It also features satellite navigation system. When the driver activates it, a display retracts and results in the (automatic) relocation of the browser screen. So the subject will have him in a great position to interpret the plans.
© Adrián Blanco 2005 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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