Papercraft model of the Volkswagen Race Touareg, the prototype with which Volkswagen Motorsport won several consecutive Dakar Rally editions.
| Manufacturer | Volkswagen |
|---|---|
| Season | 2010 |
| Category | Racing |
| Scale | 1:24 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Estimated time | 3-4 hours |
| Print format | 2 A4 sheets |
| Source | Unknown |
What you'll need: 200-250 gsm paper or cardstock, scissors or a craft knife, a ruler and glue stick.
The Race Touareg led Volkswagen to Dakar wins in 2009, 2010 and 2011, with drivers like Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al-Attiyah behind the wheel of this highly reliable diesel prototype.
Volkswagen officially entered the Dakar Rally in the mid-2000s with the Race Touareg, a prototype that borrowed its name and image from the road-going Touareg SUV but shared very little with it mechanically: it was a purpose-built rally-raid racer powered by a turbodiesel engine, a notable choice at a time when few teams were betting on diesel power for such a demanding event. That technical gamble paid off, since diesel efficiency and torque suited the Dakar's extremely long stages particularly well.
With drivers such as Spain's Carlos Sainz, already a world rally champion, and Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, the Race Touareg carried Volkswagen to consecutive overall Dakar wins in 2009, 2010 and 2011, establishing the German brand as a dominant force in rally-raid during those years. After that run of success, Volkswagen chose to officially withdraw from the competition to redirect its motorsport budget toward other programs, leaving the Race Touareg as one of the most fondly remembered prototypes in recent Dakar history.