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VW unveils revised I.D. R ahead of Nurburgring record attempt

Volkswagen has officially unveiled its heavily revised I.D. R prototype ahead of an attempt to break the electric car record for the Nurburgring Nordschleife

Last year, two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Romain Dumas broke Sebastien Loeb's record for the Pikes Peak hillclimb in the I.D. R before setting a new electric benchmark during the Goodwood Festival of Speed timed shootout.

How VW conquered Pikes Peak on its motorsport return

After a three-month development period, the same chassis that competed at Pikes Peak has been given an updated aerodynamic package.

It has led to a 20% decrease in overall downforce, but improved efficiency thanks to a smaller rear wing that now features a Formula 1-style Drag Reduction System, a new transmission and revised electric motors capable of 500Kw (670bhp).

"It reminds me a lot of a Le Mans car," Dumas said.

"The Pikes Peak car was already amazing, but for sure we have improved it in aero and in braking."

On Thursday, the car will start early testing on the Nurburgring as Dumas attempts to beat Peter Dumbreck's 2017 electric record of 6min45.90sec, set in the non-road-legal NIO EP9.

"[Trying to break the Nurburgring lap record] is an exciting challenge - first of all, I'm lucky because the Nurburgring is the nicest track in the world so to have a chance to drive it in a prototype is a dream," Dumas added.

"It will be a lot of fun after we've been pushing for the last three or four months [to develop the car].

"I have already driven the Nordschleife with the I.D. R on the simulator countless times. But the true feeling from the incredibly high cornering speeds you only get when you're on the actual track."

The four-wheel-drive I.D. R also now features a blue livery paying homage to VW's previous World Rally Championship and Dakar Rally projects, and has switched to Bridgestone tyres from the Michelins used during its Pikes Peak run.

The car has been run at four tracks in the build-up, including straight-line testing at Paul Ricard where it achieved a top speed of 170mph.

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