VW Polo GTI R5 Looks Fast Standing Still Thanks To New Livery

Volkswagen Motorsport has revealed a new look for the Polo GTI R5 rally car. The final livery draws inspiration from the Golf GTI TCR racer, which launched with a similar paint scheme last year.

VW says the Polo GTI R5’s colors and graphic patterns underline the kinship between the rally car and the standard GTI models. The paint scheme combines red, white and black in a camouflage-like design that mimics the honeycomb structure of the standard Polo GTI’s grille.

The launch livery is obviously applied as a film, so customers can remove it and paint the car however they like.

Volkswagen Motorsport has been developing the Polo GTI R5 for 20 months now. During this time, the customer rally car racked up 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) of testing in all sorts of climate conditions.

The rally car features a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that makes 272 PS (268 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. The unit is linked to a five-speed sequential racing transmission that sends power to a permanent four-wheel-drive system.

Given the superior power and traction, the rally Polo accelerates a lot faster than the DSG-equipped road car. The 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint takes 4.1 seconds, making the R5 2.6 seconds quicker. The lower weight of 1,230 kg (2,711 lb) certainly plays a part in that too.

The first Polo GTI R5 models will start arriving at customers in November and will compete in international and national rally championships.