Shown here for the first time is the bespoke battery-powered racer that VW believes will set a record on the 20km (12.4-mile) course, which rises 1,440 metres (4,724ft) up the side of a mountain and which has been challenging daredevil drivers since 1916.
VW’s first all-electric racer, being developed by Volkswagen Motorsport and technical boffins in Wolfsburg, is an all-wheel driver with what VW says will be innovative battery and drive technology.
The teaser image of the car so far released shows a closed-cockpit racer the styling of which is totally dominated by massive front spoiler and rear wing – the antithesis of the surprisingly standard-looking 1987 Golf with its engines front and rear.
The new record attempt is scheduled for 24 June 2018. The hillclimb, which has been all-asphalt since 2012, has become popular with electric vehicles in recent years thanks to their natural advantage over petrol cars in being able to develop full power at high altitude; the top of the mountain is 4,300 metres (14,000 ft) above sea level.