PoloDriver

The most exciting Polo news of 2011 was the final unveiling of the Polo R WRC, with which Volkswagen Motorsport intends to complete in the 2013 World Rally Championship. Signing the first factory driver, Sébastien Ogier was the icing on the cake. Other motorsport series also continued around the world, with the Volkswagen Polo Cup India being renamed the Volkswagen Polo R Cup India, and the Polo Vivo made its track and rally debut. As far as the road car was concerned, it still continued to win awards and make a good impression, especially on us, as we took a Polo GTI on a 1000-mile road trip. Strong sales figures in the UK and further afield continued to add to the Polo’s success. (Bold entries are illustrated by the picture above that particular month.)

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Yes, we know PoloDriver.com is primarily about the Volkswagen Polo, but today’s new model announcement from Audi was just too mad to pass up. Besides, the A1 is closely related to the Polo. So there. What exactly has Audi unveiled? A 252bhp A1, called the quattro, with the engine from the larger S3, a four-wheel drive chassis, and looks inspired by the A1 Clubsport quattro concept, unveiled in May. Limited to only 333 units, there are doubts as to whether the car will be built with right-hand drive and therefore come to the UK – haggle your Audi retailer if you’d like it to be a rare sight on our green and pleasant lanes. And yes, we would.

Performance of the A1 quattro looks to be explosive. The 0-62mph dash takes 5.7 seconds, and the car romps on to a top speed of 152mph. Maximum torque of 258lb ft is available between 2500-4500rpm, while all 252 horses are unleashed at 6000rpm. Standard transmission will be a six-speed manual gearbox mated to Audi’s famed ‘quattro’ four-wheel drive, specially engineered for the PQ25 Volkswagen Group small car platform. Exclusive ‘Glacier White’ turbine design 8.0 J x 18-inch cast alloy wheels with 225/35 series tyres transfer the power to the road, while black brake calipers grip 312mm diameter discs.

Outrageous looks match the outrageous power. The A1 quattro is only available in Glacier White Metallic with a glass black roof, rear hatch panel, rear spoiler, and front grille frame. Two 100mm chromed exhausts poke out from the restyled gloss black diffuser, while strong red accents in the front and rear lights add further menace. The interior features heavily-bolstered sports seats with black ‘Silk Nappa’ leather with contrasting red stitching, brushed stainless steel pedals, a flat-bottomed multifunction steering wheel and individual numbered plaque. Arriving in the second half of 2012, the A1 quattro must have instantly become one of the most-anticpated cars of next year. No prices have yet been released by Audi, but it won’t come cheap. But, now we know that the technology is available, four-wheel drive Polo R anyone?

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2012 Audi A1 quattro

2012 Audi A1 quattro

2012 Audi A1 quattro

2012 Audi A1 quattro

2012 Audi A1 quattro

2012 Audi A1 quattro

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We first heard about AutoTweetUp in September. Founded by editor of Racing and Waiting magazine, Tim Hutton, the #AutoTweetUp series of events aims to bring together influential tweeters in and around the automotive industry for manufacturer tours, networking, social events and anything else that gets like-minded car people together. Tim’s first event was at the 7 Hotel Diner in Kent back in September, and it was there we returned to yesterday, for the December 2011 AutoTweetUp, just in time for Christmas. As well as motoring journalists, car bloggers like us were in attendance, too, and as before, a diverse range of cars attended. Below are a few of our favourites from the afternoon (if there’s a caption missing then email rich@polodriver.com for one to be added). If you’d like to get involved with the AutoTweetUp scene, check out the AutoTweetUp website, or follow @autotweetup on Twitter.

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AutoTweetUp, December 2011

AutoTweetUp, December 2011

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @popbangcolour's Chevrolet SpART

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @anthonyingram's Fiat Panda 100HP

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: Ford Mustang

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @A1GOY's Lotus Elise

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @TheCarGuru's (David Hayes) Mercedes SL

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @evoStephenDobie's Renault Clio Williams

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @autotweetup / @toyotapr's Toyota AE86

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @alexgrantuk's Polo G40

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: @polodrivercom's Polo GTI

AutoTweetUp, December 2011: our Polo GTI dwarfs @alexgrantuk's Polo G40!

We like this. It would appear that Volkswagen Motorsport’s Polo R WRC isn’t the only rally-prepared monster Polo. Surfacing on the internet earlier today, Paul Dytko’s 400bhp/298kW (that’s 100bhp more than VW’s factory effort, remember) four-wheel drive Polo 6R has been built to contest the 2012 FIA European Hillclimb Championship, which has rounds in both mainland Europe and Paul’s home country of Poland. Capable of 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds, the Dytko Sport car appears to be clothed in similar clothes to Volkswagen’s official Polo R WRC, its cut-back extended wheel arches signalling its storming intent. Paul is looking for sponsorship for further development of the car, and has plans for a full lightweight tube-frame structure. Once we find out more, we’ll bring you more details of this exciting project.

[Source: German Car Scene]