VW Builds Custom Truck for 2008 Baja 1000
The Baja 1000 is one of the toughest off-road races in the world. This year the roughly 1,000 kilometer event runs from November 20-23 in Baja California, Mexico. VW-powered vehicles have done well in the event for years, but in 2008, things will be even better! VW has entered a custom-built of-road machine powered by a 5.5L V12 twin turbo diesel with 550 horsepower and 625 lb. ft. of torque. The vehicle has an appearance somewhat resembling a Touareg on steroids, but I don't think there is one part in common with any production VW. The vehicle was first shown to the public at the L.A. Auto Show on Wednesday.
One one of these vehicles currently exists, and it was built by ArcieroMiller Racing in Lake Forest, California, not far from VehicleVoice's offices in Tustin, California. To a degree, this new racer is based on the Paris-Dakar vehicles prepared by Volkswagen Motorsports in Germany. I understand there was a great deal of cooperation between the VW Motorsports team and ArcieroMiller Racing in developing the vehicle for the unique conditions of the Baja 1000, particularly with respect to the suspension.
This is a most impressive vehicle, and we look forward to seeing how it does in the race over the next few days. VW has aggressive sales ambitions in the U.S. over the next few years, and their sales are expected to be driven to a significant extent by their TDI (Turbodiesel Direct Injection) engine technology. Diesel engines, while very popular in Europe, have not historically represented a significant share of U.S. passenger car sales. VW hopes to use competitive successes of diesel engines to enhance the popularity of diesel powered passenger cars in the U.S. I wish them success.
