Volkswagen Motorsport India reveals Virtus GT Touring car

Volkswagen Motorsport India has brought in another racing car but this time it is the brand new Virtus GT Touring. Based on Volkswagen’s C-segment sedan that was launched this year, it is long, closer to the ground, and already looks like going at full-tilt even while standing still!

The German automaker’s racing arm revealed the car today on its Instagram handle with the ‘stay-tuned’ message for more details, like the suspension and engine specifications.

Going by the pictures, the Virtus ITC race car appears to be a radical step up over the standard Virtus GT Plus. It features a Wild Cherry Red paint job and Volkswagen Motorsport and GT lettering banners with graphics on the rear door, C-pillars, and boot. The most significant change comes in the form of lowered ride height, new alloy wheels, and large tyres. The side-mounted exhaust pipes sit between both doors and are indicative of a goosebump-inducing racket when the car has been turned on.

Although Volkswagen Motorsport India has not shared pictures of the interior, we can see glimpses of the roll cage and all-black cabin. If past VW race cars are anything to go by, we know that this will be stripped down to the metal with only the dashboard and clocks from the stock car being retained. It is expected to come with one racing bucket (with a six-point harness) for the driver as a part of the car’s race makeover.

The Virtus ITC will get the 1.5-litre TSI Evo, inline-four, turbocharged petrol engine, which also powers the standard Virtus. However, the carmaker might tune up the engine for more power. The 1.5-litre in the Virtus produces 148bhp at 5,000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1,600rpm. The standard Virtus uses a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with paddle shifters.

The Virtus ITC is likely to make its race debut soon. In fact, MRF MMSC FMSCI India National Racing Championship 2022 is just around the corner, and we can expect Volkswagen Motorsport India to debut the car in the first round of the 2022 season.