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Racing
There are many vehicles we'd consider taking racing. Even on a cross-country rally as punishing as the Dakar. But a
Buick Encore? That's not one that would enter our motorsports-based consciousness. Yet it's basically what
General Motors is entering in the South American rally raid this year, and you're looking at it.
Unveiled at the
Moscow Motor Show, this rally machine is based on (or at least billed as) an
Opel Mokka - the name that GM's European brand applies to the vehicle Americans know as the Encore, Buick's subcompact crossover. Only it's obviously been extensively modified. It's got a ten-inch raised suspension, a 137-gallon fuel tank, carbon-fiber bodywork and... hold on, we're sure we're missing something here. Oh, right: a 6.2-liter V8 kicking out 340 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox.
In other words, this is not the same Encore (or Mokka) you can pick up at your local
Buick,
Opel or
Vauxhall dealership. It's not even close. It's not even recognizable as such, really. It was unveiled alongside a more sedate Opel Mokka Moscow Edition and a slew of other local debuts for the Opel brand that you can read more about in the (translated and original) Russian press release
below.
Continue reading Buick Encore takes a hit of Mokka to tackle Dakar
Buick Encore takes a hit of Mokka to tackle Dakar originally appeared on
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03-09-2014, 03:10 PM
