• Volkswagen challenged its top tier apprentices to build a race car capable of 0-100km/h in under 4.0 seconds
• Apprentices mentored by the who's who of the Australian performance aftermarket and motorsport industry
• 206kW Volkswagen Arteon turned into 360kW/600Nm race car, to debut at 2018 World Time Attack Challenge event in Sydney 12th and 13th October
• Finished vehicle dyno-tuned and track tested: 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds (uphill)

Chullora, Sydney: Volkswagen Australia has today unveiled the fruits of its industry-wide collaboration project, dubbed the ART3on: a track-ready customised Arteon Art Car, built by a team of Volkswagen apprentices and mentors from the Australian automotive aftermarket industry.

The car has been built as part of Volkswagen Australia's second-ever Apprentice Build Challenge, which sees a small cohort of high-achieving Volkswagen apprentices selected to take on a unique build designed to test their skills and offer them invaluable industry experience not available in a typical automotive apprenticeship.

Last year's team turned a 2.2-tonne Amarok ute into a race-going track car; which became a viral superstar on social media, and has since gone on to set impressive lap times around Australia's premier motorsport tracks.

This year's challenge saw Volkswagen offer up another less-obvious vehicle to customise: the Arteon luxury saloon. The apprentices had one week to turn the newest luxury Volkswagen from a refined GT car, into a fire-breathing race car worthy of a debut at the annual World Time Attack Challenge event at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Overseeing the build, and the apprentices, was a team of mentors from Volkswagen Australia's own technical division, as well as innovators from the Australian automotive community. 

Luka Popovac, national customer experience and capability manager, was delighted with the program and what it affords Volkswagen's young apprentices.

"This program is unique to the Australian automotive sector in that we are collaborating with a part of the industry that we typically wouldn't as a subsidiary importer," Mr. Popovac said.

"We have been blown away by the support of our program mentors, who have given generously of their time, and their products, to help teach our apprentices and build something extraordinary. Not only has the ART3on inspired our apprentices, we hope it will also inspire a new generation of technicians to pick up a trade in Australian automotive," he continued.   

The parts and labour list on the ART3on reads like any great race car: a roll-cage and harnessed race seats from Bond Roll Bars, custom suspension from Bilstein Australia, race brakes from APR/VolksMuller, and engine and performance tuning from Harding Performance in collaboration with Racing Line UK, of Volkswagen Motorsport fame.

The result is a unique take on the iconic Art Car: a 360kW race-ready track car, complete with a one-of-a-kind artwork, created specifically for the car by renowned Sydney street artist Simon Murray, AKA KADE, adorning the car's sleek exterior.

While the entire team - both apprentices and expert mentors alike - are eagerly awaiting the ART3on's official lap time around Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, the numbers from the Art Car's shakedown and testing session at Luddenham Raceway have already confirmed the car has met its brief, and the challenge completed.

At its official unveiling at World Time Attack Challenge this weekend, the car will be driven by in-demand race driver, Renato Loberto, around Sydney Motorsport Park. More than just a gun-for-hire, Loberto has also volunteered his time and expertise - mentoring the apprentices throughout the build and providing vital feedback from the driver's seat, as well as coaching the apprentices on the demands on a car going fast.

Following a baseline performance test on a MAHA dynometer, the ART3on makes 360kW of power and 600Nm of torque. On an uphill straight at Luddenham, this power was put to the test where the ART3on consistently clocked an impressive 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds. Utilising Volkswagen's MQB architecture, the Arteon's standard 7-speed DSG and 4MOTION system, putting power to the ground via launch control function, ensure that this acceleration time is achieved day in, day out.

Beyond this weekend's virgin run at World Time Attack Challenge, the strength of the ART3on's base chassis and driveline technology will be showcased over the coming months, as Volkswagen intends for this one-of-a-kind race car to appear at several motorsport fixtures around the country in varying calibrations.   

The ART3on Facts and Figures: