The Volkswagen Cup is a production based series.  Entrants can use any combination of VW chassis and engine, while adhering with rules designed to promote both close racing and a measure of cost control.  Chief amongst these is the stipulation that all cars comply with the published table of power to weight ratios laid down in the series’ rule book.

In essence this means that a heavier car/driver combination is allowed to generate more power in order to compensate.  Extra power is relatively easy to obtain, especially from today’s forced induction engines, and the championship allows up to 280bhp for the heaviest cars.

However, rather than add power, competitors usually strive to reduce weight, as a lighter car is easier to accelerate, decelerate and corner.  On a race track, these attributes are more highly prized than straight line speed and many consider that 240bhp is the best balance for this championship.

For 2010, my car has 260bhp and a minimum weight level of 1,326kg.  For number 24 to achieve a weight reduction of 102kg and therefore slip into the 240bhp category would require several changes to the car and driver.  As one of these changes would have been for the driver to forsake red wine for the season’s duration, an early decision was made to stick with the 260 willing horses.

A standard road-going DSG equipped GTI weighs around 1,500kg complete with driver, so my car’s 1,326kg represent a significant drop.  Such a reduction is achieved by stripping the car down to the body shell and throwing away most of what is taken off.  A roll cage is then welded in to add safety and chassis stiffness before bolting on up-rated engine mounts, suspension components, brakes, wheels and a lightweight battery.

The car has a full system race specification exhaust, with a road legal silencer added to ensure noise test compliance if I wish to drive it at a track day (where noise limits are stricter than in racing).  An enlarged radiator keeps the hardworking engine cool and a specially designed (to work with the DSG) limited slip differential is installed to help transmit the power evenly to the road through the Hankook slick tyres.

The lower stance that comes with the new suspension helps to give the car a pugnacious air.  It squats defiantly, the headlights and radiator grill glower rather than smile.  The safety catches holding the bonnet shut and the missing rear window wiper suggest to the onlooker that this car might just be a bit tougher than the average shopping car.  It is still a Golf though and 30 years of clever Volkswagen advertising campaigns mean that we will always associate this car with the kind of calm, beneficial reliability that you get from M&S underwear.  Perhaps that’s why the VW series is so popular with the crowds who flock to see the headlining British GT Championship and then hang on afterwards the catch the veedubs – what they see is a kind of Superman transformation for the humble Golf; now it wears its pants on the outside.

Inside are changes to the driving position (by fitting a longer steering column, the driver is located further back compared to the standard car, improving the distribution of weight within the wheelbase), a properly gorgeous Recaro seat and a host of modifications to switch gear and control units as well as a plumbed in fire extinguishing system.

How fast?  Even after the weight loss and the power boost, the car is closer to sprightly than quick; with just 260 bhp, it can’t be expected to warp time with quite the same authority that a Ferrari 430 Scuderia or Superbike can.  Although not officially measured, the car is good for a 0 – 60mph in something like 6 seconds and given the space, would exceed 150 mph comfortably.  Smiley fast rather than laugh out loud rapid then, but it’s worth remembering that acceleration from a standing start matters only once in a race and that absolute maximum speed is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any venue used by the championship.

In fact, on UK circuits, the car’s working day is spent accelerating from 50 to 130mph and braking back to 50 again.  And this is where it is designed to perform strongly; the 1984cc engine’s power and torque outputs are optimised by Championship tuner Superchips to ensure that its best work is done in the mid to upper rev range.  Turbocharger massaged torque punches the car forwards and 335mm Brembo brakes (without ABS but with adjustable front/rear bias) wipe away momentum generated without hesitation.

 How much?  If you want Racing Line to build you a similar race (or serious track-day) car, then for a ball-park number start counting at the cost of a new Golf GTI, and double it.