It’s no surprise that the MPV is an excellent candidate for a sleeper vehicle. Not only is it traditionally slow and ungainly, but also its main task has always been carrying people from A to B. As ever, we were champing at the bit when we saw the latest video from Auto Addiction, featuring a 700-bhp (521-kilowatt) VR6 MPV.

While there isn’t much information provided on the engine setup, it certainly looks like a potent package under the bonnet. It’s certainly a force to be reckoned with in its upcoming quarter-mile drag race with a 510-bhp (380-kilowatt) Volkswagen Golf GTI MK.3.

The transformation of the Sharan from people carrier to straight-line specialist looks very convincing – if it weren’t for the sporty wheels and tyres, you couldn’t convince us otherwise. The owners were so committed to the sleeper aesthetic that they even omitted stripping out the factory interior to subtract weight. Semantics aside, the drag MPV did slightly blow its cover when it started shooting flames out of the exhaust while warming up for the event. 

When it came time to race, the initial result was quite predictable. With an otherworldly amount of power and torque on tap, the MPV was compromised off the line, spinning the tyres for a fortnight before hooking up with the tarmac. As both vehicles set off at almost identical intervals, the final result was difficult to call as we couldn’t spot any times, but the sleeper VW hit 149 miles per hour (240 kilometres per hour) in the half-mile.

Regardless of the true speed of this creation, it’s great to know that it undoubtedly puts a smile on the face of race fans as they watch it gap unsuspecting competitors – it’s refreshing to see a car that’s clearly built to have fun rather than set the record books alight.