Among the weird and wonderful Volkswagen concepts, prototypes and show cars at the annual Wörthersee Tour in Austria, on from today (May 8) will be this 'chopped 'n channelled' Amarok bakkie concept.
This 'sports pick-up' has serious 295/35 rubber on humungous 22” alloys, under custom fenders that are 60mm wider than the standard panels.
It also has LED lights all round, over special, deeper bumpers with a carbon-fibre front apron and rear diffuser, with more of the light stuff used for the side skirts.
Inside, the VW whitecoats went for a sports steering wheel, faux fibre dashboard and door panels and special sports seats, all in black with red trim accents.
WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET
But as with all Wörthersee show specials, the Amarok R concept is a runner, and it's what's under the bonnet that's most important. It's the three-litre V6 turbodiesel that industry insiders have been speculating about since the Amarok was first revealed.
At, last, they are now saying, a decent engine for VW's big beetle-crusher - and, with 200kW and 600Nm on tap it will silence most, if not all of the Amarok's critics. It drives all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive, and pushes the two-door show car to 120km/h in an impressive 7.9 seconds.
We're waiting on VWSA for an answer as to when the V6 will become available in SA-market Amarok bakkies, and whether the R-type concept is likely to go into production.