A VW pickup with a diesel V8?
No, Volkswagen doesn’t make one, but German tuning house MTM Performance has, according to Motor Authority.
The V8 Passion is a custom version of VW’s not-for-U.S.-sale Amarok midsize pickup stuffed with a 410 hp, 686 lb-ft of torque 4.2-liter diesel V8.
The company says the engine “fits like a glove” under the hood, and retains the 8-speed automatic transmission from the standard Amarok, which usually gets by with four-cylinder gas and diesel engines.
The result is a not so heavy hauler that can get from zero to 60 mph in six seconds, and hit a top speed of 138 mph.
As a one-off project, no price is mentioned, but MTM will surely cobble one together for you if you like, as long as you live somewhere that VW sells the Amarok.
While that’s not on the docket for the U.S. anytime soon, a VW official did say recently that the automaker needs a pickup truck in the United States.
If that happens, you can almost be certain it will have a V8 under the hood, and with diesel pickups on the way from Ram, GM and Nissan, it’s likely any truck parked next to a Jetta TDI would have one, too.