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2008 Volkswagen-Red Bull Baja Race Touareg TDI Trophy Truck
Overview: Not the shortest name in the world, but it does go a long way to describing this vehicle’s raison d’etre. Let’s break it down to bite-size pieces. It’s based on the VW Touareg SUV. It’s going to run in the SCORE Trophy Truck Class of the 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race, which starts Nov. 21. The TDI signifies the presence of a turbocharged diesel engine. In this case, not just any old turbodiesel but a clean diesel 5.5-liter V-12 with 550 hp and a tree-stump-extracting 625 lb-ft of torque. The front suspension has 25 inches of wheel travel, while the rear has 30 inches to play with. All this should stand the truck in good stead as it negotiates the treacherous and technical 634-mile course of the, um, Baja 1000 (if it was 1,000 kilometers, that would be 621 miles -- go figure). And Red Bull is one of the sponsors. Our take: This is the first turbodiesel to take part in the Trophy Truck class. The vehicle’s body was designed by VW’s studio in sunny Santa Monica, while the chassis and production was handled by Arciero Miller Racing of Foothill Ranch, so this is almost a local hero. Go, Volkswagen-Red Bull Baja Race Touareg TDI Trophy Truck! --Colin Ryan More in Autos: • Up to Speed: LA Auto Show news • 2008 L.A. Auto Show: Production cars • 2008 L.A. Auto Show: Concept cars • 2008 L.A. Auto Show: Green cars • 2009 Green Car of the Year finalists • Preview: L.A. Auto Show Design Challenge (Volkswagen)
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