What Is It?
Volkswagen Concept R
What's Special About It?
Looking like a Porsche Boxster with a mean streak, Volkswagen's radical Concept-R roadster blends an aggressive design with a classic roadster layout to create one serious-looking drop top. With its wheels pushed to each corner, a small footprint and a low-slung stance, the Concept R's intent as a true performance machine is obvious. Twin body domes behind the seats and a polished fuel receptacle in the hood give it a hint of vintage race car appeal while less obvious details like recessed door handles and LED headlights remind you that it's a thoroughly modern machine.
Like the Boxster, the Concept R features a midmounted six-cylinder engine for proper weight distribution, while a six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) delivers power to the rear wheels. Its top speed is limited electronically to 155 mph, but Volkswagen says it could push higher if left unencumbered.
In addition to its impressive performance, the Concept R also features an innovative interior that's more than just heaping doses of leather and chrome. Instead of power-adjustable seats, it has a power-adjustable dashboard that comes to you instead. The seats themselves use high-tech foam that adjusts to every contour of your body to provide perfectly distributed support while automatic head restraints move into position the moment you sit down. The dashboard display uses ultrabright LED screens that reposition themselves according to the importance of the information on display to assure that the driver remains focused on the road ahead. It may be a 21st century concept car but the designers didn't forget that the real enjoyment comes from the driving experience more than the technology that goes into it.
Why Should You Care?
As far reaching as this concept may be, rumors suggest that the Concept R is nothing more than a highly accessorized version of a production model that Volkswagen will release within a few years. Although it mimics the Boxster in both form and function, it may break away from the much sought-after Porsche is one very significant respect — price. Expected to come in thousands less than its German rival, the eventual production version of the Concept R hopes to beat Porsche at its own game. — Ed Hellwig
Volkswagen Concept R
What's Special About It?
Looking like a Porsche Boxster with a mean streak, Volkswagen's radical Concept-R roadster blends an aggressive design with a classic roadster layout to create one serious-looking drop top. With its wheels pushed to each corner, a small footprint and a low-slung stance, the Concept R's intent as a true performance machine is obvious. Twin body domes behind the seats and a polished fuel receptacle in the hood give it a hint of vintage race car appeal while less obvious details like recessed door handles and LED headlights remind you that it's a thoroughly modern machine.
Like the Boxster, the Concept R features a midmounted six-cylinder engine for proper weight distribution, while a six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) delivers power to the rear wheels. Its top speed is limited electronically to 155 mph, but Volkswagen says it could push higher if left unencumbered.
In addition to its impressive performance, the Concept R also features an innovative interior that's more than just heaping doses of leather and chrome. Instead of power-adjustable seats, it has a power-adjustable dashboard that comes to you instead. The seats themselves use high-tech foam that adjusts to every contour of your body to provide perfectly distributed support while automatic head restraints move into position the moment you sit down. The dashboard display uses ultrabright LED screens that reposition themselves according to the importance of the information on display to assure that the driver remains focused on the road ahead. It may be a 21st century concept car but the designers didn't forget that the real enjoyment comes from the driving experience more than the technology that goes into it.
Why Should You Care?
As far reaching as this concept may be, rumors suggest that the Concept R is nothing more than a highly accessorized version of a production model that Volkswagen will release within a few years. Although it mimics the Boxster in both form and function, it may break away from the much sought-after Porsche is one very significant respect — price. Expected to come in thousands less than its German rival, the eventual production version of the Concept R hopes to beat Porsche at its own game. — Ed Hellwig
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