Volkswagen Australia has unveiled the fruits of its collaboration with RacingLine. Their latest project, dubbed the ART3on, is a track-ready Stage 3 Arteon ‘Art Car’, built by a team of Volkswagen apprentices, to compete in Sydney’s World Time Attack Challenge even
It was always an ambitious project. The result is a unique take on the iconic Art Car: a 480hp race-ready track car, complete with a one-of-a-kind artwork created specifically for the car by a renowned Sydney street artist adorning the car’s sleek exterior.
Volkswagen Australia selected RacingLine’s Stage 3 Upgrade Kit as their favoured route to achieve not only their power objectives, but also the reliability that the high-profile nature of this project demanded. With RacingLine’s well-proven kit installed, the ART3on comfortably makes 480hp (360kW) and 600Nm of torque, verified on Volkswagen’s own dynomometer. On an uphill straight at Luddenham test track, this power was put to the test where the ART3on consistently clocked an impressive 0-100km/h (62mph) time of 3.9 seconds.
Sharing both the MQB architecture and the 2.0 TSI EA888.3 engine from the current Golf R, the technical side of the project became a little more straightforward: RacingLine’s range of upgrades fitted perfectly onto the Arteon. The Stage 3 kit uses RacingLine’s hybrid turbocharger, paired with their R600 intake, Turbo Inlet Hose and Turbo 90 Inlet Elbow. RacingLine’s giant intercooler keeps the charge temperatures controlled in all climates, at all speeds.
Volkswagen sensibly deemed it essential to fit RacingLine’s Oil Management System on the Arteon, designed specifically to protect the 2.0 TSI engine from oil starvation when used hard on track - sharing the design with VWG’s TCR race cars.
The car has been built as part of Volkswagen Australia’s Apprentice Build Challenge, which sees a small cohort of high-achieving Volkswagen apprentices selected to take on a unique build designed to test their skills and offer them invaluable industry experience not available in a typical automotive apprenticeship.
The apprentices had one week to turn the newest luxury Volkswagen Arteon from a refined GT car, into a fire-breathing race car worthy of a debut at the annual World Time Attack Challenge event at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Overseeing the build, and the apprentices, was a team of mentors from Volkswagen Australia’s own technical division, as well as innovators from the Australian automotive community led by RacingLine Australia’s top man Guy Harding.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Volkswagen Australia for this one-of-a-kind project,” says RacingLine MD Sam Roach. “Working alongside our Australian importer Guy Harding and the team of apprentices, we hit the power objectives set for us with ease. And the car performed exactly as anticipated at World Time Attack Challenge.”
