2006 Volkswagon Golf R32 - It's Fast And Somebody's Furious

A Car Originally Destined For Greatness, Sadly This Feature Could Be This 2006 Volkswagon R32's Greatest Achievement.

November, 2006

By Justin Fivella

Photography by Sam Du

The movie star that never was; VW had hoped enthusiasts would recognize this R32 at a glance. Instead, most haven't a clue about this unique car or its troubled past.

In case you're unfamiliar with its history, this was the car VW intended to play the lead role in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Insiders told us VW apparently negotiated a multi-million dollar deal with Universal Studios to incorporate its products into F&F3, and several other upcoming movies. As if the big screen wasn't enough, VW and Universal Studios also created a F&F3 thrill ride using faux movie-spec R32s.

So why, after this rumored seven-figure deal, are you seeing the car for the first time on the pages of et? Well, that's because the car was only given a split-second cameo most wouldn't even notice - we didn't, and we were looking for it!

More often than not, one plus one equals two; but here, nothing added up. Determined to get to the bottom of this, we picked locks to get behind the scenes. After some copious digging, we were able to lift the veil of secrecy off the F&F3 R32 that never was.

From what we've been able to discover, media bigwigs met in secret underground lairs to seal the deal. After the checks were cut and handshakes exchanged, VW assumed the R32 would be the hero's car in the upcoming movie. Meanwhile, the film-makers took four right-hand drive R32s for the movie that's set in Japan - two of which were converted to rear-wheel drive for drifting - planning to paint them pink.

A lead role is what VW wanted and, in a sense, a lead role is what they got when the R32 was selected as the lead female's car.

Seeing pink, VW reportedly vetoed the color change, insisting the cars remain in the scheme VW had originally designated. However, it remained the lead actress' ride.

Our Deep Throat tells us VW was unhappy with the testosterone-deficient role, so pulled the plug on the deal and had the cars written out of the movie. Because the R32 is predominantly male-owned, it's understandable VW felt the pink paint and female role didn't reflect its consumer demographics.

Unaware of the situation, we skipped to the cinema and sat through two hours of import drifting without a glimpse of the hyped-up hatch. We left scratching our heads in disbelief and wondered how many Euro enthusiasts were doing the same.

While the movie packed heavy doses of import and domestic heat, the only VW that made the cast was the intriguing Hulk-themed VW Touran. Not only was the car heavily disguised, but how many people would actually recognize what was under all the green?

We admire VWs efforts to have its products represented in movies and hope this paves the way for European cars to be considered for the lead role in prominent films - and no, we don't count Herbie, although Ronin gets our vote.

The WannabesUnlike the majority of F&F3 cars that were customized by the film producers, the four R32s were modified by VW. So it's interesting to see how VW chose to portray itself.

The movie star R32's strongest features are the Lambo-style doors and widebody kit. In addition, the fenders sport carbon ducts front and rear, as well as wide sills.

The front bumper has enlarged air inlets and a prominent splitter. The rear bumper may be more conservative, but it features a large valance and exhausts on either side, rather than in the center like factory Mk5 R32s. Finishing the exterior treatment, the car wears a carbon hood scoop, enormous roof spoiler and bold graphics.

Turning the 19" wheels is the new 10.6 narrow-angle 3.2 liter VR6. Left in stock form, the motor produces a brutal combination of 250hp and 236 lb/ft. The factory brakes remain unchanged, but the suspension has been lowered significantly.

The driveline on two of the cars was converted to RWD for drifting. VW reportedly achieved this by disconnecting the front axles and locking the center differential. This method was used for its simplicity, but isn't advised for long-term use since the durability could be seriously compromised. For the scenes that didn't require tail-out action, the remaining two R32s were left in AWD form.

We recognize this import-flavored hatch isn't to everybody's taste and thought twice about featuring it. But the car was built to star in The Fast and the Furious - a movie that receives worldwide audiences. As such, we should be lenient toward it and recognize the car as an important piece of Euro memorabilia, particularly since it was built by VW Germany.

Remove the graphics and carbon scoops, and you have a widebody R32 with rear-wheel drive no enthusiast could ignore. And no matter what your taste, it's nice to see VW pushing the boundaries and working with Hollywood.