VW's Chinese Market Turbo VR6 Is A Great Way To Give A Golf R 500bhp+

To us here in the UK, the VR6 is becoming a distant memory. It hasn’t been fitted to any Volkswagen products in years, but over in China, it’s a different story - there, you can buy the Terramont and (Talagon)[https://www.carthrottle.com/post/meanwhile-in-china-theres-a-brand-new-vr6-turbo-engined-vw/] SUVs with 2.5-litre turbocharged VR6 engines. Oh, and aftermarket vendors can order the ‘DDK’ six on its own, and because it’s fitted with a snail from the factory, it’s a fabulous platform for modifications, as British Columbia-based HPA Motorsports has found.

The long-term VW tuner has spent the last two and a half years developing what it calls the ‘VR550T’ using this version of the narrow-angle, staggered-piston ‘V6’. As you might have guessed from the name, it produces 550hp, or 542bhp, as well as 550lb ft of torque. Plenty, then, if stuffed into the engine bay of a Golf R, as HPA has done here. It makes for something outrageously quick, and closer in terms of ethos to the MkIV and MkV Golf-based R32 models.

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Full details are yet to be disclosed, although we do know the engine comes with an updated valvetrain, fuel pump and - unsurprisingly - a new turbocharger. For the latter element plus the engine management system, HPA collaborated with German firm HGP Turbo. The finishing touch is VR550T branding on the plastic engine cover, which is a nice touch.

It’s worth noting that HPA does have a British distributor, so there is a chance we could see the VR550T offered in the UK as a crate engine. Cross those fingers.

Speaking to HPA, we were told the focus is on the Mk7.5 Golf R at launch, although there’s talk of a Beetle RSI tribute, which sounds fun. The engine will also, we should think, fit in pretty much any MQB platform vehicle. HPA notes it “could very easily go into an Arteon,” a particularly exciting prospect given that Volkswagen once fitted a 3.0-litre version of the Teramont/Talagon turbo VR6 to a couple of 400bhp Arteon R prototypes, but elected to go for a 2.0-litre ‘EA888’ inline-four on the grounds of emissions, weight and costs.

So, who fancies making that swap?

Now read: Why VW Pulled The Plug On A 400bhp VR6 Arteon R