Bio-CNG VW Scirocco Will Compete In Its Own Race Series
The new Volkswagen Scirocco is one of those cool cars America will never get (yes, I know we had it once, but the new one is sooooo much cooler). VW’s hot little hatchback has the looks and power to make most American small cars cringe in fear. Even cooler? They are working on a version that runs on carbon-neutral bio compressed natural gas.
Try saying that five times fast!
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Bio CNG is made from renewable feedstock, and VW claims it is carbon neutral because it only puts the carbon back into the air that the feedstock absorbed. Right. That probably doesn’t take into account well-to-wheel issues such as the large tracts of land needed to grow the biofuel feedstock, but there are other benefits to running this fuel too. It has a high octane fuel rating, and 80% less CO2 output compared to a conventional car. VW also claims that about 2.5 acres of cultivated feedstock land can produce enough bio-fuel to run a car for 42,000 miles. Lets just hope this isn’t just another “230 MPG” shame-claim.
What really piqued my interest in this story though is VW starting their own, single-make racing series. Called the Scirocco Championship. As you may have guessed, all the cars will be Sciroccos. More importantly though, they will all run on CNG, proving once again that eco-friendly racing is possible. The 2.0 liter turbocharged engines put out about 220 horsepower and 202 lb-ft of torque to the ground through six speed transmissions, and even feature a “boost” button for a short burst of an additional 30 horsepower for passing.
Of course, there might be a lot more refueling for these races too. No gas mileage specifications were made for the CNG cars, but the petrol powered Scirocco gets about 30 MPG. The cars have a capacity of just 22 kilos of CNG, the equivalent fuel capacity of just 9.2 liters gasoline. Still, this is one series I plan on paying special attention to while I keep writing mildly threatening emails to VW to persuade them to sell the Scirocco to the U.S.
Source: Wired | Photo: VW
Gee Chris, didn’t anyone ever tell you that racing cars get much less mileage than highway cars?
Chuck! I’ve missed your snarkiness.
And remember, the more pit stops you have to make, the less time you are racing. Gas mileage can be as important as speed, depending on the kind of racing you do.