These Are The Strangest Uses Of Volkswagen’s VR6 Engine!

Introduction

In 1991, VW developed an interesting combination to give the power of the V configuration and the compactness of Inline engines known as “VR”. The VR6 engine was known for 10-15 degrees of angle between cylinder banks, unlike traditional V6 engines with 45 to 90 degrees! Extremely Tunable and interesting as the engine format is, its implementation was more noteworthy and here are 5 examples of the strangest uses of the VR6 engine.

VW Beetle RSI

The special version of the beetle needed to have a special engine and it helps to explain the purpose of the VR6 perfectly. Possibly, one of the only good models from the “New Beetle” generation, the RSI was a track-focused version of the Hairdresser’s Car. It had several improvements such as wider tracks, tyres and loads of carbon fibre components such as doors which reduced the weight and not to mention, an obligatory rear wing …… on a car shaped like an egg. It came with the 3.2 Litre VR6 engine which produces 225hp mated to a 6-speed manual, and VW’s Four Wheel Drive System called “4-Motion” and Remus Twin Pipe Exhaust. The Suspension was also rumoured to be tuned by Porsche. The reason VR6 was used in this Beetle was because the car was so small that a traditional V6 would’ve taken more space and a 4-cylinder would’ve been poultry at best. The best of both worlds was perfectly combined in a recipe which was limited to only 250 units!

Ford Galaxy MK1

Volkswagen and Ford have a really good relationship and they constantly badge-engineered their cars in a Toyota Suzuki-esque manner. Take the Ford Galaxy Mk1 as an example. This minivan came with a 2.7 Litre VR6 engine which produced more than 200hp. It is a combination to spot as many of the Galaxies came with the 1.9 Litre TDI engine which was a good commuter. But the petrol-powered smoothness makes the VR6 Galaxy a sought-after collectable in the eyes of weird car buyers even if it’s a badge-engineered Volkswagen Sharan!

Artega GT

How about a low-volume sports car which featured this engine? Well, you have the Artega GT sold from 2009 to 2012. Reviews stated that the GT was a superb handling sports car without any failure points, a combination hard to find. It was reasonably priced at $104,000. The 3.6 litre VR6, in this case, was mid-mounted and transversely laid which produced 300hp and 350Nm of torque mated to a 6 Speed DSG Transmission. It stacked well against cars like the Lotus Elise and could’ve done well against sports cars like Evora, and Alfa Romeo 4C but sadly the company filed for bankruptcy at the end of 2012. This halted production in Delbruck with only 153 units made in total. Paragon AG handles service and parts for this car currently and has unveiled electric cars such as the Artega Scalo. However, there remains to be mainstream recognition for the brand which is a sad thing as it could’ve been a worthy competitor as it packed a more potent and tunable engine than the setups ran by the likes of Alfa Romeo and Lotus.

YES! Roadster

Interestingly, Artega wasn’t the first brand to implement the use of the VR6 in a sports car. In 1999, YES! (yes, with an exclamation point) arrived with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder sourced from VW which worked well enough for a small sized rear wheel drive sportscar. However, the 2nd generation of the roadster, which might be a stretch as it was effectively the same car, was powered by the 3.2 litre VR6 engine and it produced 252hp or YES! Would’ve liked to turbocharge it producing 350hp! Seriously, if you can import them to India, please do!

Linde Forklifts

You read it correctly! The forklifts you may see at construction sites were also certified by this legendary VR6 engine. Whilst the power output was limited to just 90hp, we can confirm that Linde has used the 6-cylinder in 3.2 litre and 3.6 litre forms. It is difficult to source exact numbers and it seems an overkill but it is a delight to see nonetheless.

Skoda Superb VR6

If you are impressed after all the uses of the VR6 and plan to buy it, don’t worry we got you. The original Skoda Superb, sold in India, was offered with a 3.6 litre VR6 engine which produced 262hp and we have one for sale at TDH Classifieds for just Rs. 6 Lakhs. This particular example is tuned and All Wheel Drive mated to a DSG transmission that makes it the perfect enthusiast daily driver with a luxurious interior and sporty driving characteristics at a fraction of its original price thanks to the gods of depreciation