Touareg Gold Edition

Here’s something that’s bound to get Dakar followers going. Volkswagen has put out a concept study of its Race Touareg 3 – which won the recent 2011 Dakar – at the Qatar Motor Show, alongside the flashy Touareg Gold Edition.

It’s not quite the same car, naturally. The street-legal variant’s two-metre wide body has been slightly modified for road use, and the race car’s 16-inch wheels are replaced with new BBS 18-inch units, finished in a gold shade.

The 305 hp all-wheel drive vehicle does the 0-100 kph sprint in less than six seconds, and features – in case you can’t identify it by its shape – a “Race Touareg” signature pasted along the vehicle’s sides. Like the Gold Edition, the RT 3 Qatar’s exterior is finished in a shade called Magic Morning.

The interior in this one has of course been completely redesigned (all that has remained unmodified is the safety cage) to offer easy controls and good ergonomics. VW’s designers created an interior in so-called ‘Stealth look,’ reminiscent of the aircraft of the same name.

In tribute to the Dakar Rally, the Dakar victories are etched in the anodised aluminium of the centre console, right next to the ‘Race Touareg’ signature. Other interior features include Recaro racing bucket seats – with Nubuk seat side supports and perforated Nappa leather centre seat panels – and trim elements dressed in matt carbon, as well as a Serpentino Grey Metallic finish for the roll cage.