PoloDriver

The latest rendering of the rumoured high-performance Polo R (above, top left) has been causing ripples on internet forums this week. Nothing has been confirmed by Volkswagen of course, but the firecracking version with upwards of 200bhp could be a possibility. Even respected UK motoring weekly Autocar recently reported that a ‘Cup’ version of the new Polo could arrive sometime in the future.

This, the magazine reported, would be powered by a 280bhp version of the 1.4-litre TSI engine already in service in the SEAT Ibiza FR and Cupra, and slated for a starring role in 2010’s Polo GTI, with or without its seven-speed DSG gearbox. The GTI itself is still causing excitement, too; initial reports suggested 168bhp, but now 198bhp could well be likely.

So, how likely is the 136mph R? The new Scirocco R has been largely well received by the motoring press and with the even more powerful Golf R due very soon, the time could be right to light the blue touch paper on a hot shot Polo. It could hit the roads in 2012, but its price would be crucial.

It would need to be around £17,000 to be on a par with the souped-up supermini class-leader, the 200bhp Renaultsport Clio. With the high-gloss and high-tech that would come as standard with a Polo R, that seems unlikely. That same Polo R rumour mill quotes a proposed price of 22,500 euros (£20,300) in Germany.

But, Volkswagen has been known to surprise. When we visited the AutoMuseum Volkswagen five years ago, a special prototype rumoured to be a Polo R18, R23 or R25 was being moved from the store to the development centre at the company’s Wolsfburg HQ. It looked suitably sporty and could well have been a little brother to the Golf R32, but unfortunately it never made it into production. Check back in a few days for a fuller report of this exciting but forgotten Polo design study.

[Polo R rendering: Bernhard Reichel/Bild]