Volkswagen R plans to enter the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2027 with an all-wheel-drive Golf R race car developed alongside Max Kruse Racing. Volkswagen announced the programme on May 5, 2026, positioning the project as a new competition chapter for its performance division in the year of its 25th anniversary.
The race car will be based on the current Golf R
The competition version will be derived from the current Golf R and adapted to the demands of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Volkswagen says preparation of the real race car has already begun, but the company has not yet disclosed its technical details.
Visitors can already see the project’s initial direction through a show car called the Golf R 24H. It is on display at the Nürburgring’s Ring Boulevard, offering a public preview before the car intended for competition is fully revealed.
The programme follows three years of Volkswagen competing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours with the Golf GTI Clubsport. The planned entry therefore changes the model at the centre of the effort, moving from the GTI Clubsport to a Golf R-based race car. Max Kruse Racing remains Volkswagen R’s long-standing and important partner for the project.
The Nordschleife will serve as both race venue and test track
Volkswagen describes the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring as its most demanding test in real competition conditions. The company also uses the circuit for testing and development, giving the 2027 programme two linked purposes: demonstrating Volkswagen R’s performance in competition and subjecting technical development to the demands of an endurance race.
Benjamin Leuchter is responsible for the programme on the team side as co-founder of Max Kruse Racing. He is also a Volkswagen test and development driver who contributes to the setup of the brand’s most sporting production models. Volkswagen says the project is intended to take the cooperation between Volkswagen R and Max Kruse Racing to the next level.
The project extends a performance history that includes electric records
According to Volkswagen, the “R” in Volkswagen R comes from “racing”. The first production model in the R performance range was the Golf R32, launched in 2002 with a 3.2-litre VR6 engine, four-wheel drive and the first direct-shift gearbox in the Golf category, as Volkswagen describes it.
The division’s competition history also includes four world rally titles with the Polo R WRC and several electric records set by the ID.R sports car. That background places the 2027 Nürburgring entry within a wider performance programme, but it does not establish which powertrain the future Golf R 24H will use beyond the confirmed all-wheel-drive layout.
For now, the confirmed change is Volkswagen R’s planned return to the Nürburgring 24 Hours with a new Golf-based competition car and Max Kruse Racing. Preparation is under way and the show car is available to view, while the technical specification and the full competition version remain undisclosed.
Volkswagen’s announcement confirms the 2027 entry, but not a race result or a complete specification. The next significant update will need to provide more information about the car being built for the Nordschleife.