VW R will enter the 24 Hours of Nurburgring to mark its 25th anniversary season. The new Golf R racer uses all-wheel drive, replacing the FWD GTI Clubsport setup. Max Kruse Racing is leading development of the wide-bodied, high-downforce race car. Volkswagen R is going back to the Green Hell, and it’s bringing something special along for the ride. The performance arm confirmed it will enter the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2027, with the timing built around the 25th anniversary of the Golf R32, the 2002 hatch that started the whole R bloodline. For the assault on the Nordschleife, VW is teaming up with Max Kruse Racing, the squad that has campaigned the Golf GTI Clubsport 24h on the same circuit for the past three seasons. The new car is called the Golf R 24h, and a concept version has been shown to preview the direction. More: The Golf’s New Hybrid Runs Like A Prius Until 37 MPH, Then It Remembers It’s A VW It is based on the road-going Golf R but draped in serious aero. The package includes an oversized front splitter, a vented hood, flared fender extensions, a towering rear wing, and a diffuser to match. The race car sits considerably lower than the street car and rolls on proper motorsport wheels and slicks. Visually, it shares plenty with the existing GTI Clubsport 24h, which is no surprise given the shared team and platform. Still, the design could further evolve as development continues ahead of its racing debut in 2027. The VW Golf R 24h (above) will replace the Golf GTI Clubsport 24h (below). The most important upgrade over its predecessor lies beneath the surface. Unlike the GTI Clubsport 24h, which used a front-wheel-drive layout, the Golf R 24h adopts all-wheel drive, aligning it more closely with the road-going hot hatch. More: VW’s New ID. Polo Starts Under $30K And Comes With Massage Seats Volkswagen has not shared detailed technical specifications, but the model will likely use an upgraded version of the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. In the outgoing Golf GTI Clubsport 24h, that unit produces 343 hp (256 kW / 348 PS) and runs on E20 bioethanol fuel. Reinhold Ivenz, Head of VW R, described the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring as “the toughest test for us under real competitive conditions,” adding that the new race car will be “the most spectacular Golf R to date.” The Nurburgring campaign by Volkswagen R is consistent with its motorsport heritage. The performance sub-brand has achieved major success in WRC with the Polo between 2013 and 2016, and broke several records with the fully electric ID.R racing prototype in 2018 and 2019. More: VW Still Makes Performance SUVs, Just Not For America On the production side, the Golf R will soon be joined by a new T-Roc R, with an R-badged Tiguan expected to follow. Reports had also pointed to a hotter Golf R variant powered by the Audi RS3’s five-cylinder, but with Euro 7 taking effect in November and Audi dropping the engine, that’s off the table unless the rumored hybrid version pans out.