GOLF RALLYE (SYNCRO)



Article from the Greek car magazine "4wheels"











12/January/2019

A nice video from a racing school:





01 February 2019

A D.W. nice video:






01 January 2021

 Syncronauts, (owners or dreamers), all over the world, please, accept your gift for the new year:
STERN says,
(Google translation):

VW Golf II Rallye G60: Big cheeks

VW Golf II Rallye G60 thick cheeks

Striking: the thick fenders and the corresponding sill
Striking: the thick fenders and the corresponding sill
© press-inform - the press office
At the beginning of the 1990s VW wanted to get into rallying and therefore built 5,000 Golf II Rallye G60s. Twelve of them with a 16 valve four-cylinder and 210 hp: We were allowed to drive the projectile and are thrilled.

30 years ago the world was still different. Germany had just won the soccer world championship in Italy and the kick professionals had just given up the 1980s standard Bundesliga hairstyle "Vokuhila" (short front, long back). As in Formula 1, you were allowed to let off steam in the cars without someone coming around the corner with a raised index finger. When VW announced the VW Golf II Rally G60, many frowned. That would drain the GTI's water. But then the car manufacturer from Lower Saxony lifted the veil and explained that the VW Golf II Rallye G60 served as a homologation model for rally operations in Group A and therefore only 5,000 units were built. Due to the rules, the VW engineers reduced the displacement of the G60 engine from 1,781 to 1,760 cubic centimeters.


Thanks to the larger intercooler, the Rally Golf achieved 160 hp. Pretty good, but not the tip of the iceberg. Only twelve units of this series received the motorsport performance kit specially developed by Volkswagen Motorsport, including the four-valve cylinder head, which increased the output of the 1.8 liter engine from to 210 hp. In order to get the power of the Über Golf II to the ground, the engineers gave the Rallye Golf the all-wheel drive of the Golf syncro with the viscous coupling, which only took the rear axle into the raffle if the front wheels lacked traction . The crisp sports suspension matched this.

So the VW Golf II Rallye G60 was a fine piece of technology with which VW wanted to stir up the rally world. The price was correspondingly ambitious. In addition to the basic costs of 44,500.00 DM, there were about 13,000 DM for the cylinder head and the other subtleties. So a nice chunk of money for a golf. But we should soon find out that this car has next to nothing in common with the classic 50 HP Schnauferl of the hat wearer fraction. But first we examine one of the twelve golfs as the safari visitor stares at a lion lolling lazily in the sun. Spellbound by the apparition and knowing that the big cat can turn from dozing lazy into a hunting machine in a fraction of a second.

We immediately notice the big cheeks. In contrast to the accessories trade, these are not plastic attachments, but part of the sheet metal cover to accommodate the wider track and the wide 205 tires on 15 inch rims. The massive rocker panels, the angular double headlights, the small rear spoiler and of course the obligatory double exhaust fit well.

Inside, the typical hard plastic charm of the time awaits us, but also Recaro brackets, which welcome us with large side cheeks spread out and soon make it clear: "We will not give you here anymore". The ideal sitting position is found quickly, even without a thousand adjustment options. With one turn of the key, the inflated four-cylinder comes to life. When rolling in and warming up, the Rally Golf shows its civilized side. But one thing is immediately apparent. The transmission is wonderfully gristly, has short distances and the gear lever can be guided precisely. Hot! Nothing from the soft-washed automatic attitude of current vehicles. Here the pilot is still the master of the house and holds his skills in his own hands.

The obligatory 30 kilometers have been completed, the engine and, above all, the oil should have a reasonable operating temperature. Now it's down to business. The Golf is just waiting to be let off the leash. The compact sports car responds to every small movement of the accelerator with a greedy twitch. Open fire! Up on the stamp. The rally athlete jumps forward aggressively. Now is the time for all-wheel drive, which prevents the front paws from gathering. Now the mechanical scroll charger answers with a singing saw. The compressor-like forced ventilation fulfills its purpose, power is already available from the lower speed range.

Clack. Third gear. We mercilessly tear through the corridors. Now the tight and short guidance of the gearbox pays off. The gear changes are quick and easy. The tachometer needle quickly moves towards the 6,200 rpm mark, where the red area begins. We switch at 6,000 tours. The 1040 kilogram Golf is more of a playful compulsory task for the 210 hp power plant than a physical stumbling block. The acceleration is still impressive today. The stiff sports suspension minimizes nervous body movements and conveys the much-cited and rarely achieved go-kart feeling. We say: shoot like on rails. The all-wheel drive helps immensely in the corners,the front scratch of the Golf GTI would be hopelessly overwhelmed with this projectile and would only squander the power of this special VW Golf II Rallye G60.

At that time, this Golf only knew a few opponents and made many sports cars look old. Ford's answer was not long in coming. One year after the appearance of the Rally Golf, the Cologne-based company countered with the Ford Escort RS Cosworth with 220 hp. But the sporting fame first belonged to the Wolfsburg bullet, with which Erwin Weber became German rally champion in 1991.

link: https://www.stern.de/auto/fahrberichte/vw-golf-ii-rallye-g60-dicke-backen-9550166.html