Volkswagen will use the annual GTI gathering at Lake Wörthersee in Austria to reveal the fastest and most powerful Golf GTI ever to reach production, celebrating 40 years since the launch of the first Golf GTI.
The Golf GTI Clubsport S has 306bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, enabling it to reach 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds and a derestricted top speed of 165mph, making it faster and more powerful than the four-wheel-drive Golf R.
As well as additional power, the GTI Clubsport S is almost 70kg lighter than a standard model, including a lightweight exhaust system and the removal of the rear seats. The chassis has been substantially changed too, with bespoke settings, semi-slick tyres and a special Nurburgring mode for the dynamic chassis control.
Much of the development work was carried out on racetracks including the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife and in doing so the Golf GTI Clubsport S has set a new world record for front-wheel-drive production cars with a lap of 7min 49.21sec
Just 400 examples of the GTI Clubsport S will be produced, with 100 of those already allocated to the German market. Prices for the UK are yet to be confirmed but are expected to be in excess of £32,000.
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