We recently announced a very cool event for local Volkswagen fans and adventurers alike, and I wanted to draw it to the attention of our New Hampshire customers because it’s happening tomorrow. Rainer Zietlow, the German adventurer who drove a VW Touareg TDI up the entire length of the Pan-American Highway in record time, will be at Quirk Volkswagen August 16! This is a great chance for people to come out, meet Rainer and see the record-setting Touareg TDI that carried the team to victory. I hope you’ll all attend! Below, you’ll see the press release.
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Rainer Zietlow tackled 14 countries and nearly 16,000 miles of troublesome terrain in record time in a Volkswagen Touareg TDI, and on August 16 he’ll be at Manchester Volkswagen dealer Quirk VW to tell his tale. Zietlow will have the record-setting Touareg TDI with him when he stops in at 11 a.m., allowing fans to get an up-close-and-personal look at the machine that conquered the Pan-American Highway in less than 12 days.
The TDI-Panamericana U.S.-Dealer Roadshow event at the New Hampshire VW dealership will feature a short film on the record-setting drive followed by a presentation on the Touareg TDI by Zietlow and, finally, a chance for fans to ask questions and take photos with the adventurer and his vehicle. Zietlow and his two teammates started their trek at the southern end of the Pan-American Highway in Argentina on July 2 and finished in Deadhorse, Alaska on July 13, cementing the Volkswagen Touareg TDI’s reputation as a fuel-sipping, go-anywhere SUV.
“Rainer and his team took on some of the toughest roads the world has to offer, and it’s an honor to have him talk about the trip at our dealership,” said Frank Carnucci, general manager of Quirk Volkswagen. “It is an incredible feat to cover that much distance in such a short time, and it is a testament to the toughness not just of the VW Touareg TDI, but of Rainer and his team as well.”
WHAT: TDI-Panamericana U.S.-Dealer Roadshow
WHEN: August 16, 2011, 11 a.m. EDT – 12 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Quirk Volkswagen, 1100 South Willow Street, Manchester, NH
HOW: The event is free and open to the public.
The only differences between the record-setting Touareg TDI and those normally found at Volkswagen dealerships are aggressive off-road tires, an advanced satellite communications system and an additional fuel tank that was installed to carry the crew over long uninhabited stretches. However, even everyday Touareg TDIs feature an impressive highway cruising range of roughly 740 miles thanks to a 26.4-gallon diesel fuel tank and a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine that gets 28 mpg on the highway while still producing 225 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque
With Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Touareg is just as capable on the rough motorways of South America as it is on snowy New Hampshire roads. Meanwhile, 70.9 cubic-feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded offer plenty of space for either supplies during intercontinental travel or gear for a weekend trip with the family.
“You don’t get to meet a true adventurer every day, and getting a chance to see and learn about the equipment that Rainer used to achieve the feat is a special occasion,” Carnucci added. “I hope people take advantage of the chance to meet him and learn about parts of the world that many of us will never see.”
