Their goal for 2018’s Challenge: build a car capable of hitting 100km/h in under four seconds. Naturally, beating the previous best lap time set by last year’s car at the World Time Attack Challenge event in Sydney (1:57.01sec) will also be on the apprentice team’s to-do list.
Just as the burly dual-cab Amarok was an obscure choice for last year’s inaugural Challenge, the chosen car for this build also offers apprentices a unique learning opportunity. Volkswagen’s low-slung luxury saloon, the AWD Arteon, will be stripped and turned into a fire-breathing Art Car, with a dynamic, artist-designed exterior in keeping with other greats.
That “who’s who” includes Volkswagen’s own technical experts Jose Diaz and Glenn Staples, workshop manager and master technician Ryan Mulholland, and a range of new and returning partners to the program.
Specs:
Suspension tuning: Bilstein Suspension Australia / H&R Suspension
Stage Three Engine tuning: Harding Performance in collaboration with Racing Line UK
Brakes: Volksmuller in collaboration with APR
Diagnostics and Dyno Testing: Maha Australia
Roll bar and race seat fitment: Bond Roll Bars
Vehicle Wrap: Pivot Creative
The ‘art’ adorning the Art Car will be coming from well-known Sydney street artist, Simon Murray, AKA Kade, who will be creating a custom design for the vehicle in his signature style. That design will then be converted to a vinyl wrap and applied to the finished vehicle.
With the build week now officially underway, the public will be able to see the completed vehicle for the first time next month at the World Time Attack Challenge event at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Motorsport Park on October 12th and 13th.
There, the Arteon Art Car will set its very first lap time, along with Volkswagen’s new, more powerful 200kW/580Nm V6 Amarok ute, which will be running the same apprentice-fitted steering and suspension setup as last year’s track-blazing Challenge car.
