Volkswagen Arteon time attack car specs revealed

Volkswagen Australia’s apprentice-built World Time Attack Challenge car for 2018 was announced last month as a 2018 VW Arteon, normally a 206kW offering, now a purpose-built racer capable of a sub-4sec sprint to 100km/h.

Volkswagen has revealed the specs and details for the car, known as the ‘ART3on’, as well as revealing that it achieved a 3.9-second 0-100km/h run at Luddenham Raceway, which VW says was “on an uphill straight”.

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That time comes thanks to the new outputs of 360kW and 600Nm from the turbocharged 2.0-litre inline four, after Volkswagen apprentices gleaned knowledge from mentors in Australia’s automotive aftermarket industry. The ART3on still has VW’s 7-speed DSG to shift cogs.

VW Australia’s Luka Popovac says this is an unusual thing for Volkswagen to do as an importer of first-tier manufactured cars.

"This program is unique to the Australian automotive sector in that we are collaborating with a part of the industry that we typically wouldn't as a subsidiary importer," Popovac says.

"We have been blown away by the support of our program mentors, who have given generously of their time, and their products, to help teach our apprentices and build something extraordinary.

“Not only has the ART3on inspired our apprentices, we hope it will also inspire a new generation of technicians to pick up a trade in Australian automotive.”

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Bond Roll Bars, Bilstein Australia, APR/VolksMuller, Harding Performance, and even international companies like Milltek and Racing Line UK make the list of brands VW Australia has collaborated with to create the ART3on.

Harding supplied a stage 3 turbo and intake, oil management, intercooler, and fuel pump from Racing Line UK, as well as adding Harding DSG software to the mix to improve gearbox performance. A Milltek sports exhaust, downpipe, and high-flow cat replaced the stock system.

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The car’s unique paintwork comes from Simon Murray, a street artist based in Sydney and known primarily as Kade.

This weekend at WTAC, racing driver Renato Loberto will pilot the ART3on after having helped with the development of the tuned VW sedan from the driver’s seat, giving apprentices feedback on its capability.