Volkswagen rolls out its contender for the Baja 1000, the Atlas Cross Sport R

No, this isn’t some ‘Ken Block’ stuff you see here in the photos and no, this won’t be doing doughnuts off a bridge. This is Volkswagen’s Atlas Cross Sport R, an off-roading maniac which is built specifically for the lumberjacks or Baja.

“Racing as a sport has historically been limited to a very privileged group,” said Saad Chehab, senior vice president of VW brand marketing. “However, Volkswagens competed at the very beginning of Baja racing, and we’re excited to help keep the fun, youthful spirit of the competition alive by way of our Atlas Cross Sport R,” he added.

Not your everyday soccer mom car, the production line Atlas Cross Sport is quite a capable debris-crawler. Though the tuned up 2.0-Liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine now produces a whopping 480 horsepower. How? I mean just how is this possible? To top things up, this engine is actually capable of producing a monstrous 600hp of power. Still, how?

What makes us scratch our heads is that grille, which makes her look like Joker’s ride if he were in the ‘Mad Max’ universe. Those Maxxis wheels and jacked up ground clearance is a hell lot of a way to provide it with some serious off-roading capabilities. Call it a ‘Knightmare on the Baja Street’ this VW is totally different from all those off-tarmac Beetles slooshing their way through Baja.

VW did not release any of its official specs but did reveal the lucky chap who will be commanding the cockpit of this ‘Ebon Hawk’ like land-sail. That guy is Tanner Foust, you must have seen him on all those TopGear episodes. This VW will be in the Baja Class 7 Competition, a much terrain-friendly yet tough competition to test the endurance of any vehicle.

Also Read: Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport revealed