+ Power: 1.8-litre supercharged engine with 172 hp, top speed of over 215 km/h
+ Chassis: High-performance brakes and stiffer suspension
The World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) with its 20 races in Asia, Europe and South America, provides the very best in motor racing. Three 270 hp works racing cars from Chevrolet are a permanent fixture on the starting grid, and many millions of TV viewers throughout the world have followed their success. They are built by Chevrolet's WTCC partner in the UK, Ray Mallock Limited. There is now a good chance that you might have a similarly powerful vehicle standing in front of your house soon, because following the attention-grabbing premiere of a prototype road version of the Lacetti WTCC in May this year, the company will now, at the IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt (September 15-25, 2005), present a second study with world championship flair in the shape of the Nubira station wagon WTCC R+. Says Chevrolet's motor racing boss, Eric Nève: "It is a definite possibility that this roadworthy racer will become available from our distributors fairly soon."
Like the first concept vehicle, the Mallock team has placed the Nubira station wagon WTCC R+ on extra-wide wheels. And the appearance of this sporty five-door model has a great deal in common with the sophisticated aerodynamics of the racing car. This is manifested by the deep front bumper with pronounced air inlets, the wider fenders and the sculpted side sills. A rear spoiler and a Venturi-effect rear bumper in combination with the dark-tinted windows round off the sporty look of the new station wagon. It can be recognized by the R+ logos on the rear and on the sides of the front fenders. The plus sign was designed resembling the Chevrolet logo.
The interior also generates a feeling of sportiness. The black leather upholstery of the seats has a distinctive stitching finish. The front seats incorporate the R+ logo as do the special footwell mats and the dash panel. All the decorative strips are finished in a satin aluminium look. From the special sports-styled steering wheel and the non-slip aluminium pads of the pedals to the gearshift knob, the driver has full command of the power generated by the sporty Nubira station wagon. This also applies to gear changing, where firmer bushes and shorter shift travel make gearshifting even faster.
The station wagon study with its 1.8-litre engine certainly has plenty of power. A mechanically driven supercharger with a pressure of 0.5 bar developed by the Swiss specialist and Chevrolet partner, Delta-Motor, joins forces with a charged air intercooler to raise the output by more than 40 percent. Expressed in figures, this means (previous figures in brackets): 127 kW/172 hp at 6,000 rpm, (90 kW/123 hp) and 230 Nm at 4,900 rpm (165 Nm). This enables the Nubira station wagon WTCC R+ to touch 100 km/h in around 8 sec and to accelerate to a maximum speed of over 215 km/h. The power unit can be recognized from the R+ logos on the engine cam covers and on the distinctive tail pipe of the modified exhaust system.
Good road contact is ensured by the 215/45-17 low-profile, high-performance tires. They are mounted on large 17x7 inch special alloy spoke wheels that also increase the track width. The brakes also grip faster and last for a long time. At the front, the Nubira station wagon has large-diameter 325 mm discs, and the callipers all-round are fitted with particularly fade-resistant brake pads.
The chassis has also been fundamentally modified. At the front and rear, the Nubira station wagon is lowered by 30 mm. Other modifications include the heavy-duty rubber bushes, uprated springs and dampers and larger diameter stabilizers to reduce body roll and contribute to the sporty driving performance of the R+.
