IRVW 3
IRVW stands for Integrated Research VW and, unlike many concept cars, this 1985 Jetta-based vehicle was built to show a combination of safety, performance and comfort features that could well appear in family cars in the not too distant future. Five years on, we can see how many of these features have indeed found their way into production VWs: a supercharged 1.8-liter engine; five-speed gearbox that automatically changes up from fourth to fifth for fuel saving; ASR, an anti-slip device to control wheel spin on slippery surfaces; ABS anti-lock braking; air suspension for a better ride and which drops the ride height of the car for high-speed driving; a fully adjustable seat-belt system to cater for all sizes of driver and passenger; and an on-board navigation computer.
The IRVW 3's engine produced 180bhp at 5,500rpm and 175lb/ft at 4,000rpm on 1.7-bar boost. The fuel injection/management was the Digijet system to be seen on production cars from 1988. The car could sprint to 60mph in 7.1 seconds, covered the 50-70mph gap in 7.8 seconds in fourth gear and had a maximum speed of 132.5mph.from VW Power and Style by Ian Kuah