Touring Car Racing, at times, brings some of the most unlikely machines to the racing track. One prime example is the Volvo 240 Turbo, which was raced during the mid-1980s throughout Europe. Obviously, aerodynamics were not the chunky Volvo's biggest assets but the well-honed turbocharged four-cylinder engine managed to pull the 240 down the straights at formidable pace. So much so that in 1985, Volvos won the European and German Touring Car championships. The featured example is one of the cars used during the 1984 season. It was the very car that scored Volvos first European Touring Car win and also the first for a turbocharged car. This year, it is a regular in Peter Auto's Heritage Touring Cup and actually is in the lead of the championship. It will be raced again this weekend at the inaugural Monza Historic.
One of its main rivals at Monza will be the very rare Rover SD1 3500 Group 2. Although based on the Group 1 Touring Car built by David Price racing, this car was destined for endurance racing. Fitted with a slightly more powerful engine and wider wheels, it was campaigned in four consecutive Kyalami 1000 km races against contemporary Group C cars. One of the fastest cars in the HTC, the striking Rover has suffered from gearbox issues in the races. Hopefully, there will be no such issues this weekend. We will be on hand all weekend and will have a detailed report and gallery ready early next week.
Today, Volkswagen revealed the first details and images of the Golf TCR. As the name suggests, it is built for the Touringcar Racer International Series. Based on the Golf R road car, it features a tweaked engine, good for 330 hp, and a considerably wider track. This weekend, the new Golf Touring Car will make its competition debut at Spielberg in Austria.

Enjoy the links:

1981 Rover SD1 3500 Group 2 - Images, Specifications and Information

2015 Volkswagen Golf TCR - Images, Specifications and Information

1983 - 1986 Volvo 240 Turbo Group A - Images, Specifications and Information