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Volkswagen R has been exciting its global community of fans with the Volkswagen brand’s most sporty and emotional models ever since. Volkswagen R has just delivered its 250,000th R model to a customer in Zurich. The special customer, Flavio Zwahlen, bought the current Golf R, the most powerful and dynamic series Golf of all times. Equipped with 320 PS, four-wheel drive and R-Performance torque vectoring, the Golf R impresses customers with its driving dynamics and look. The jubilee model is actually Flavio Zwahlen’s second Golf R. “It is the perfect car for me thanks to its inconspicuous sportiness, first-class interior and incredible sound. With the help of the 4MOTION drive system, the Golf R is also ideal for the mountains.” Peter Jost, the Head of Marketing and Sales for the Volkswagen R, said it was hardly a coincidence that the 250,000th R jubilee model was sold to a customer in Switzerland: “Switzerland is a very important market for Volkswagen R – also because of the country’s high affinity for performance and four-wheel drive. The R models are really popular here.” In addition to the Golf R32 and the other Golf R generations, Volkswagen R developed and made the models Passat R36, Touareg R50, Scirocco R and Golf R convertible. The R brand and its vehicle models fascinate their customers and are currently making a major financial contribution to VW’s transition to e-mobility.

She took her place at the wheel of the new Golf R for a trip through Salzburger Land. It is sunny in Salzburger Land. The last remnants of the snow can still be found at the edges of paths and on shady mountain roads. Spring is just around the corner. Perfect conditions for a trip in the Golf R. Jasmin Preisig picks up the key. “Driving is mega important to me. I passed my driving licence when I was 18,” explains the 28-year-old racing driver from the Swiss canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The car is her constant companion. On the journey to the Senses Violett Suites hotel, she is particularly impressed by the R-Performance Torque Vectoring. It ensures the handling is always neutral and that the Golf R really turns into corners. “I really enjoy driving, and not only when I am on holiday. That is obviously also an advantage in motorsport,” says Preisig, grinning. “But I am relaxing today,” she adds. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. After briefly checking out the rooms, including the view of the lake, we hit the road again, heading towards Saalbach-Hinterglemm. On the way there, we pass famous ski slopes. “It is almost like home,” says Preisig. “Only, I haven’t actually been skiing all that often. I was always more drawn to cars.”

A look back on three generations of the Volkswagen Scirocco ‘We can do that, too. And better,' they say back in 1971 in Wolfsburg – providing the starting signal for the development of a coupé designed to turn all heads. The buzz surrounding the project was going strong and Volkswagen wanted the Scirocco as an answer against its competitors' recently launched, Ford Capri and Opel Manta. This is achieved with brilliance, because while the aforementioned models still used a rigid axle and rear-wheel drive, the new Scirocco won admirers for its transverse engine, front-wheel drive and modern chassis – all at an attractive price. It proved a worthy successor to the highly successful Karmann Ghia Type 14 Coupé, which had been produced for 19 years. The cult of clear lines When unveiled in 1974, the Scirocco was not just a hit technically, but also visually. It stands to reason that designer Giogetto Giugiaro – who also drafted the Golf I – would also conceive the bodywork of the coupé with the same technical basis. And the ‘maestro' designed an incredibly beautiful, functionally and elegantly stylish 2+2-seater, 3,850 millimetres long and just 1,310 millimetres high. With the engine and transmission, the Scirocco weighs in at just 800 kilograms. Like the Karmann Ghia, the Scirocco also rolled off the production line of the Karmann factory in Osnabrück. The first GTI was a Scirocco It just has the edge on the Golf here: the sporty Scirocco GTI entered production in the summer of 1976, while the later cult Golf GTI wasn't unveiled until the autumn of the same year. Its high-revving, 81 kW / 110 horsepower 1.6-litre engine featured mechanical fuel injection and – just like on the Golf GTI later on – was a constant source of pleasure for drivers. The smaller engines were capable of between 37 kW / 50 horsepower and 63 kW / 85 horsepower. The chassis was modified as a result of the higher power.

It was billed as the first “fun car” from Volkswagen for the younger generation: The Scirocco desert wind conquered the hearts of fans in the early 1970s with a combination of Italian design and a completely novel technical concept. Amongst its fans was German rock star Udo Lindenberg. Clean lines, a powerful punch under the hood and a completely new, young target group in its sights: The Volkswagen Scirocco I caused a stir on the market in the early 1970s. “It rather cheekily rushed into the void,” says Eberhard Kittler, Director of the Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation. “At the time, vehicles from Volkswagen were regarded as rather dull and sensible,” says Kittler, “so the first Scirocco was absolutely a small revolution that upended all the conventions.” And with resounding success. More than 500,000 Scirocco I units were sold worldwide through 1981 – the “desert wind” (Scirocco is the Italian word for the hot wind from Africa) was extremely popular and quickly achieved cult status. Special exhibition in Wolfsburg As of today, there is a special exhibition on the cult model at the AutoMuseum in Wolfsburg until August 18, 2019. The roughly 20 vehicles on display include one-offs made available to the Volkswagen AutoMuseum Foundation from private collections. “We got some really cool ones,” says Kittler with evident pride. For example, the Sciwago, a station wagon version of the Scirocco I. Renowned car dealer Günter Artz, who once crossed a Golf with a Porsche (the so-called Golf 928), built a dozen of the Sciwagos – only seven survived. The exhibition presents an exhilarating collection of rarities. In addition to convertibles and other special models, there are also two one-of-a-kind turbo models and two further bi-motor test cars –i.e. featuring a powerful engine in both front and rear – that could reach speeds of up to 290 kilometers per hour.