2007 | Volkswagen Golf V GTI

“Conqueror of the Green Hell”

2007 VW Golf V

Ex-factory Volkswagen Motorsport race car

8th overall in 2007 N24

Class Winner in SP3T

Ready to Race, 422 HP

No circuit in the world has cultivated as rightful a reputation as the Nürburgring Nordschleife. This legendary ribbon of asphalt, cutting its way through Germany’s Eifel Forest for more than 20 kilometers, provokes respect, admiration and fear in equal measure. It has been the site of some of motorsport’s greatest triumphs as well as a number of its darkest moments. No wonder it is often referred to as the ‘Green Hell,’ a nickname coined by three-time Formula 1 world champion Jackie Stewart.

An annual fixture on the Nordschleife calendar is the Nürburgring 24, held on a combined layout of the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife annually since 1970. Although the event has increasingly focused on GT cars, particularly in the last decade, production-based racing formed a key part of the race’s popularity in the early 2000s.

To that end, one of the 220 cars that started the 35th running of the Nürburgring 24 was this Volkswagen Golf R-Line, one of two entered under the factory Volkswagen Motorsport banner. It was one of 13 cars entered into the SP3T class but was a significant competitive proposition with its 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-four engine producing 422 horsepower.

A trio of talented drivers was assembled to pilot the Golf as Florian Gruber was paired up with Jimmy Johansson and Rene Rast, with the latter two having established themselves as champions in Volkswagen’s single-make Polo Cup series. Out of the three drivers, Rast has gone on to become one of the most successful German drivers of his generation. His resume includes three DTM titles, two overall victories in the 24 Hours of Spa and an outright N24 win in 2014. Rast is currently a factory driver for BMW, competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class.

In a race that was stopped for some six hours due to the arrival of thick fog, Gruber, Johansson and Rast captured a dominant class victory. The #111 Volkswagen completed 101 laps en route to an impressive eight place overall, beating many of the faster GT cars in the process. The nearest car in the SP3T category finished 23rd overall, four laps behind.

After this stellar result the car raced in the Swedish Endurance Championhsip and was maintained by Fillebaxter Motorsport. Even as late in 2020 the car came 4th overall in the Swedish MSLS Championship.

Included in the sale is the original Factory Manual and the original DMSB Pass.

Engine and Drive train

·         1984 CC Turbo / Intercooler by VW Motorsport

·         Direct Injection

·         Rebuilt in 2022, 6 hours since

·         3 engine maps

·         Rain:               389 HP/432 Nm

·         Intermediate:  409 HP/474 Nm

·         Full Race:       422 HP/422 Nm        

·         Dyno sheet available

·         6 speed DSG Gearbox rebuilt in 2022, 6 hours since

·         Limited Slip Device

Chassis

·         Steel with Carbon Doors, Bonnet, Front wings and skirts

·         Koni Shock absorbers

·         6 Piston front brake calipers on 362x32 mm front discs.

·         ATL Safety tank valid to 2027

·         1120 Kgs Dry weight