Volkswagen and AutoStadt Perform at the International Edelweiß-Bergpreis Rossfeld Berchtesgaden
Photo credit: Volkswagen
The Golf I GTI Group 4 “Pierburg” and the Golf II GTI Group A “World Champion” are two extremely exceptional vintage vehicles that Volkswagen will have on the starting line to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Golf this year. Benny Leuchter, an experienced motorsport driver and Volkswagen test driver, will operate both cars. Together with a rare 139 PS Rally Beetle 1302, the Autostadt team is bringing the renowned VW Scirocco Group 2 by Oettinger to Berchtesgaden.
The first Golf GTI “Pierburg,” which took its name from the primary sponsor, had a modified GTI engine that had a two-valve head. With this Golf GTI, the driver duo of Per Eklund and Hans Sylvan won numerous top rally finishes in Group 2 in 1980. A Group 4 compatible Oettinger 16V cylinder head could be used beginning with the second event of the 1981 German Rally Championship. The GTI “Pierburg” is outfitted with this Oettinger cylinder head. In 2011, the hill climb race car was restored to original specifications, including a white exterior. That same year, it successfully participated in its debut rally appearance in San Marino with its illustrious original crew of Per Eklund and Hans Sylvan.
A classic car from the Volkswagen Motorsport period, the Golf GTI was raced in the 1986 FIA Rally World Championship. Looking back, Volkswagen made an impression with this second-generation Golf GTI on the global rally arena. In the first World Rally Championship for Group A vehicles, the driving pair of Kenneth Eriksson (Sweden) and co-driver Peter Diekmann (Germany) won the championship in 1986 with the Golf GTI. At Volkswagen Motorsport in Hanover, Eriksson/Diekmann’s GTI underwent significant technical upgrades in compliance with the event regulations. These adjustments included raising the output to 176 PS and decreasing the weight to 880 kg. 2009 saw a meticulous restoration of the GTI. Ever since, it has participated in famous races like the Edelweiß-Bergpreis.
The only original car remaining from the late 1970s racing era, when the VW Scirocco ruled the race track in the 1.6-liter class against competition from Ford and BMW, is the famed Group 2 by Oettinger from the Autostadt collection. The first Volkswagen race car built on a series production model to win a race was the Scirocco Series 1. With the Scirocco and Formula Vee, Volkswagen officially entered the motorsport world. The four-cylinder inline engine can attain a maximum speed of 200 km/h and produces 170 PS at 7,000 rpm.
The 139 PS Rally Beetle 1302 (1970), which is also a member of the Autostadt ZeitHaus collection, rounds off the Autostadt lineup. The Rally Beetle’s maximum speed was 170 km/h thanks to its four-cylinder boxer engine located at the back, individual wheel suspension with suspension struts up front, and torsion bar suspension down below. Volkswagen is prepared and finish the climb in the heart of the Alps. Want to find out more about the climb race?
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