Celebrating the model’s 50th year, Volkswagen is launching a special Golf GTI with gonzo levels of horsepower. Alas, this one will stay across the pond.
Christening it as the most powerful production Golf GTI to date, the Edition 50 is rated at roughly 320 horsepower, translated from the weirdo Yurpean measures of 239 kW or 325 PS. That’s bloody near R territory, except a GTI funnels all of its power through the front wheels, of course. Will a GTI ever officially outstrip an R in the VW horsepower hierarchy? Nein! If you’re wondering, the engine is a modification of the drive unit from the Golf GTI Clubsport. Torque settles at 309 lb-ft, up from 295 in the Clubsport and 273 in a standard GTI. Yes, that’s a seven-speed DSG at hand – the manual is gone, you may remember.
Suspension tweaks push the Edition 50 about 0.6 inches (15 mm) closer to the ground than a workaday GTI, though an optional Performance package can shave that by a further 0.2 inches (5 mm). The group also includes 235-section Bridgestone Potenza Race tires, described by VW as semi-slick, mounted on 19-inch wheels. Volkswagen claims a nine-pound (4.1 kilogram) weight saving at each corner with this combo. The lightweight R-Performance exhaust system saves a further 24 pounds (11 kilos).
A smattering of badges and logos appear both inside and outside the GTI Edition 50, popping up on places like the roof spoiler and the insides of exterior mirrors. The crest also shows on the so-called sports steering wheel, which is wrapped in leather (the wheel, not the crest). Shift paddles for the DSG sprout from behind the tiller.
Customers across the pond will be taking delivery of their snazzy GTI Edition 50 in the first quarter of next year.
[Images: VW]
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