To be honest with you, we don’t watch the World Rally Championship because, well, who does? But we have always liked the little Polo R WRC and always rooted for it to win, mainly because of its humble origins as a lowly city runabout, beefed up to challenge the aristocracy of this sport. Now they are preparing a new one for the 2017 season.

And here it is in sketch form, the 2017 VW Polo R WRC. Volkswagen rightfully describes this car as “more spectacular” than before, and it’s not just about the looks or improved aerodynamics. The new WRC Polo packs a heavy punch of 380 horsepower and it benefits from lighter weight as well (1,175 kilograms agianst 1,200 in the previous version). The rally car is also wider and longer and overall more imposing than before, which doesn’t necessarily make it faster, but is good for psychological warfare as it could intimidate the rivals. The hopes are high for this bad boy.

‘‘The 2017 WRC regulations include many spectacular technical innovations for the World Rally Championship,’’ said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. ‘‘The World Rally Cars of the future will incorporate all the experience that teams have gained in recent years. They will be considerably more dynamic, whilst at the same time being safer. As usual, we are working painstakingly on the development of the next generation of the Polo R WRC. The key between now and the start of next season is to achieve the best possible prerequisites to allow the 2017 Polo R WRC to be as successful as its two predecessors.”