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2013 marks the debut of Volkswagen in the World Rally Championship. The automaker fielded a couple of their Polo R WRC rally cars and one of them has managed to finish in second place at the Rally Monte Carlo. After months of preparation and testing, the team's efforts have certainly paid off. Behind the wheel of the second placed car was Sebastien Ogier and his co-driver, Julien Ingrassia. Volkswagen motorsport director, Jost Capito, spoke after the rally event and he mentioned that finishing second place in the first ever rally was something more that the team could have expected. He also added that the Rally Monte Carlo was the most complex event in the season calendar and the team has shown that they are ready for the WRC. Finishing in first place was Sebastien Loeb in his Citroen and Loeb's team mate Dani Sordo came in third. Volkswagen's other car, piloted by Jari-Matti Latvala retired from the race after crashing in some snow covered sections at the Col de Turini stage. The Polo R WRC rally car is based on the humble Polo hatchback. But it received an aerodynamic bodykit and a WRC-spec 1.6-litre turbocharged engine which delivers around 300bhp, even with an air restrictor fitted. The next stage, which is the Rally Sweden, will kick off on February 7th.

Just recently, Volkswagen unveiled the Polo R WRC which is considered the road version of the rally bound Polo that will participate in the World Rally Championships and not much was said about the racing version or how will it look like. But now, Volkswagen has finally revealed the race version of the Polo R WRC which will make its competition debut at the 2013 Monte Carlo Rally in January. Although Volkswagen did not give out any technical specifications or power figures, the car is built to the latest WRC specifications and that means it is fitted with a turbocharged 1.6 litre four cylinder engine. Even with an air restrictor, the engine is said to make around 300bhp. The engine is mated to a six speed sequential gearbox and due to WRC regulations, a mechanical differential is fixed onto the front and rear axle. An exceptional feature of the engine is the anti-lag turbocharger system. When the driver lifts his/her leg off the acceleration pedal, the turbo

Earlier this year, Volkswagen unveiled a Polo concept known as the Polo R WRC Street Concept at the annual GTI meeting in Worthersee, Austria. The production version is now ready and as initially confirmed; the car will go on display at the upcoming 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Volkswagen has released images of the car which is now known as the Polo R WRC and the car will be produced in limited numbers and it is considered to be the road version of the Polo R that will participate in the World Rally championships. The final product was heavily inspired by the concept shown at the GTI meeting. The Polo R WRC looks more aggressive and beefier than the Polo GTI, all thanks to the reshaped bumpers and wider stance. 18 inch rally inspired wheels are fitted on all four corners of the car. At the rear, the car receives a trunk mounted spoilers and dual chrome exhausts tips. The Polo R WRC is available only in white with grey and blue stickers placed on the front hood and at the side of the car. In the interior department, the front seats are fitted with bucket seats and the seats are wrapped in a mix of leather and alcantara. A three spoke steering wheel and aluminium pedals complete the racing look. The Polo R WRC is the most powerful street legal Polo that the company has ever built. The car is fitted with a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine and it is the same unit from the Golf GTI. The engine makes around 220bhp and with a torque of 350Nm. The car completes the century sprint in 6.4 seconds and has a top speed of 240km/h. As mentioned above, the Polo R WRC will be built in limited numbers and Volkswagen will built only 2,500 units of it.