VW Brought This Obscure Golf Rally Prototype to SEMA, and It’s Awesome

This is the 1993 Volkswagen Golf A59, a prototype developed when Volkswagen was considering entering the 1994 World Rally Championship.The A59 was powered by a unique turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 275 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque and paired with a six-speed manual and all-wheel drive.Much of the bodywork is made from carbon-fiber and Kevlar, and the A59 features a distinctive hood with three large rectangular vents.

Along with a highly modified Jetta GLI and some crossovers with camping gear, Volkswagen brought this silver 1990s Golf to the 2022 SEMA show. But this is no ordinary Golf, as evinced by the bulging wheel arches and hood that looks like someone attacked it with a hole puncher. This is the 1993 Volkwagen Rallye Golf 3 A59 prototype, designed to be a homologation special so that Volkswagen could compete in the 1994 World Rally Championship. But that never happened, and this Golf with an attitude remains a one-off.

Michael Aaron|Car and Driver

The A59 prototype was built with help from a German firm Schmidt Motorsport, and took the Mk 3 Golf to the extreme with a specially developed engine, a completely reworked suspension, and swollen bodywork. A bespoke all-aluminum turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder was said to produce 275 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, over a hundred horses higher than even the most powerful Golf GTI production cars of the era. A six-speed manual transmission routed that power to all four wheels via a variable center differential.

Michael Aaron|Car and Driver

The 16-inch five-spoke Speedline wheels—shod in 225/45R16 tires—were affixed to a front strut suspension with Bilstein shock absorbers and wider control arms and a multilink rear suspension with Bilstein struts. Brembo brakes with cross-drilled discs took care of stopping the A59.

Many of the exterior body panels were fashioned from carbon fiber and Kevlar, and the revised front bumper, muscular wheel arches, side skirts, rear spoiler, and chunky rear bumper hiding quad exhaust pipes gave the A59 a menacing look. The multiple cutouts in the hood for cooling were a unique touch, while the interior gained Recaro seats, a three-spoke steering wheel, and a digital dashboard. If the A59 had raced, Volkswagen would have been required to build 2500 of these fierce Golfs for the road, but the project was cancelled. That means that this remains the sole Golf A59, although Volkswagen says the powertrain went on to record class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in other vehicles.

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