Blow Out The Candles: VW Golf GTI Edition 30 powers into production
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Remember back in May when VW put together a black-wheeled red GTI to commemorate the car's 30th anniversary? That machine was simply one-off design study prepared by Volkswagen Individual. Now, five months later, VW has released the details on the production version.
Last evening brought word that there will indeed be a production version of this 30th Anniversary GTI. Now, those of you reading this and rolling your eyes at yet another special edition from Volkswagen take note: this is no garden-variety GTI. You see, like the Edition 30 study, the production car has a pumped-up version of the 2.0 FSI lurking under the bonnet. Eschewing traditional birthday candles, Volkswagen elected to instead add 1 horsepower for every year since the introduction of the original GTI. That means the 2.0 FSI hiding under the bonnet now delivers a healthy 230 horsepower to the front wheels, as opposed to the standard car's 200. That's enough to earn the Edition 30 bragging rights as the most powerful GTI ever. Buyers can select between a six-speed manual or a DSG transmission to wrangle the increased power.
Available in three- and five-door body styles, the Edition 30 receives a subdued body kit that incorporates a new chin spoiler, side skirts and rear bumper. The car's 18" "Pescara" wheels look worlds better than the black painted GTI wheels the design study featured, which were seriously ugly. The Pescaras are exclusive to the Edition 30, and are the most obvious exterior tip-off that this is no standard GTI.
Open the door and you'll immediately notice the seats, whose primary surfaces are covered in "interlagos" plaid. The bolsters and headrests, however, are trimmed in leather. In another nod to the original GTI, the shifter grips for both available trannys get the puckered "golf ball" texture. Plates in the doorsills announce that the car is an anniversary model, and the leather hide covering the steering wheel is accented with red stitching.
So far, the only market we can confirm the GTI Edition 30 for is the UK (that's the press release we're reporting on), but since the car in the photos is LHD, we expect to see it become available throughout Europe as well. As for the US? Unknown at this time. Watch this space for updates.
Returning to what we know for a fact: 1,500 will be built, and the pricing comes in at £22,000 for the 3-door and £22,500 for the 5-door. Want DSG? Tack on another £1,300. It arrives in January.
(Additional photos after the jump)
[Source: VW]
GTI Edition 30:
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PRESS RELEASE:
GOLF GTI CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY WITH LIMITED EDITION MODEL
The fastest and most powerful production Golf GTI yet is set to kick off celebrations as 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the original hot hatch – the Mk1 Golf GTI. Despite three decades having passed since the defining GTI was conceived, the spirit of the original is still very much alive in the new Golf GTI Edition 30.
At its heart is an uprated version of the 2.0-litre, ultra-responsive four-cylinder T-FSI engine fitted to the standard GTI. The result is 230 PS – a rise of 30 PS over the standard car. This is mated to a choice of six-speed manual or sequential DSG gearboxes channelling drive through the front wheels.
The new Golf GTI Edition 30 will sprint to 62 mph in only 6.8 seconds (6.6 secs when equipped with DSG) before reaching a maximum of 150 mph.
Joining the dynamic tweaks is a fresh new look for the GTI Edition 30. New body-coloured side skirts are paired with a new chin spoiler for the front bumper and a body-coloured rear bumper. A subtle 'GTI' badge sits on the bootlid below tinted rear lights. Completing the look are a set of unique 18-inch 'Pescara' alloy wheels.
Inside, the GTI Edition 30 benefits from unique sports seats finished in 'Interlagos' cloth trim and completed with leather side bolsters and headrest. The distinctive golf ball gear knob synonymous with the Mk1 GTI also makes a welcome comeback. Elsewhere silver sill plates featuring a unique 'Edition 30' logo are joined by the sculpted leather GTI steering wheel complete with red stitching.
Equipment levels for the Edition 30, as on the standard GTI, are high, with ABS, ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme), six airbags, radio/CD player, 2Zone electronic climate control and twin chrome exhaust tailpipes all featured.
Just 1,500 examples of the GTI Edition 30 will be available from early January with a range of six paint colours ranging from Candy White to the searing Tornado Red. Prices for the anniversary model start at just over £22,000 for the three-door model, with a £1,330 premium for the DSG-equipped car. The GTI Edition 30 is also available with five doors for an additional £500.
The right hand drive Mk1 Golf GTI – developing a modest 112 bhp – went on sale in the UK in 1977. At the time Leo Sayer was at number one, Star Wars gripped a generation of kids, Concorde was about to take flight for the first time and Volkswagen's new GTI cost £5,217. The Golf GTI, with its mix of a low kerb weight and a fast-revving four-cylinder engine, sharpened suspension and subtly aggressive looks, became an instant hit. By the time the Mk1 GTI was phased out in 1984 over 19,500 examples had been sold in the UK.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jason 9:16AM (10/27/2006)
Makes me Happy, i want a dsg one.
Bout time they showed off the higher hp versions of this 2.0, eventually they need to phase out the 200hp variant for this one, just like the did with the 150hp/180hp 1.8t in the previous gen.
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kris 9:57AM (10/27/2006)
im writing my deposit/down payment check right now. bring it here please very soon because i know about ten people who would buy it
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menice 9:53AM (10/27/2006)
ok, is it me or are this pic and the linked pic with the black wheels the exact same pic with the wheels and plate chopped?
Interior looks nice, but what is with the PLAID seats.
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Michael Karesh 9:52AM (10/27/2006)
Looks like the ugly wheels off of the Audi S4 found a second home. They might be unique to the GTI, but they've been around. I am surprised that wheels would be shared between Audi and VW.
So the wheels on the concept were even uglier?
Jason, they'll only phase out the 200hp when it's time to give people who bought the 200hp engine a reason to trade-in. So around the time the car is refreshed in 2008 or so.
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Alex Nunez 10:04AM (10/27/2006)
Menice, it's not just you...
The plaid seats are a heritage element that date back to the original GTI. The current GTI comes with this seat pattern as standard equipment, albeit in all-cloth upholstery.
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Disco Stu 10:10AM (10/27/2006)
I like it, but I wish they'd produce something a little more special for the anniversary of such an iconic car. I'd love to see a lightweight version with around 250 bhp. Something along the same lines as the RS model Porsches. Perhaps it'd give the Mk5 a little of the rawness that the Mk1 had.
I miss my Mk1 GTI's ;(
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Corey 10:28AM (10/27/2006)
#2, those are actually rebadged BBS RH's, which have been in the BBS line for a while.
Overall, car looks great, but my local dealers will probably add another 10% markup. :/
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cars specifications 11:13AM (10/27/2006)
I like it, but no automatic, please!!!
http://www.auto-specifications.com/
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Richard Warren 10:59AM (10/27/2006)
I like it. As to the plaid seats #5 is correct. Just like any rips or holes, you don't see the plaid when you're sitting on them :)
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ruggels 11:14AM (10/27/2006)
It could very well be a p-chop. It's weird how now VW people hate the black Hufs but all the VW nuts on various forums loved them.
#6, VW is in no position to build a brand new GTI just for 30th edition, it wouldn't make financial sense... if you want something different go buy the IROC when it comes out. I’m not sure if you followed any VW’s since ur MK1 GTI, but the MKIV anniversary edition just featured a subtle lower body kit and bigger wheels.
#1 and 2, how long did it take Audi to uprate the 1.8T from 150 to 170hp? Four years. So upgrading to 230 hp with new software (as many VW boards have been murmuring would happen for the last year now) so quickly is a pretty progressive move for VW, they're already improving. "phasing out the 200hp variant" is a bit of a misnomer, the engines are the exact same, the 230hp engine has new software, similar to chipping... which explains why VW changed the ECU for 2007, which had been boggling many tuners who thought it was to offer launch control.
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Jan Wojcik 8:04AM (10/28/2006)
Not enough to differentiate it from my 06 GTI. Since most MkV's produce close to 200 whp, this is no real upgrade. BBS wheels have been around as mentioned.
Where is the lightweight clubracer model that would harken back to the MkI days?
This is just marketing stuff, no real change in the car...
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Sean C 12:38PM (10/27/2006)
I don't think we'll get this, at least not as the "30".
Back in the day, VW had the 25th Ann. Edition VW over in Europe, but we didn't see our US version until 2003 as the 337/20th Ann. Edition because the GTI was released in Europe two years before it was released in the states as a 1983 model.
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ZPrime 2:20PM (10/27/2006)
#9 - it isn't an autotragic, it's a DSG, there's a world of difference.
The DSG is a driving man's automatic. It's very comparable to a paddle-shifted F1 transmission, except if you're lazy or are in stop&go you can put it in "A" and let it shift for you. :)
put it in manual mode and it will bounce the rev limiter all day if you don't shift the thing. about all it does is keep you from downshifting into redline/engine death range, which is fine by me. plus, no clutch means the left foot can be used for "trail braking"...
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Sean C 12:43PM (10/27/2006)
**ruggels **
It is not a P-shop, it's the real deal. And what do you mean "VW is in no position to build a brand new GTI just for the 30th"?? VW does EXTREMELY well with special editions. Just look at the 337 and the 20th Ann edition from the last model (MK4). They sold like gangbusters and VW couldn't keep them on the lot. This car WILL sell. Yes, it featured a subtle body kit and bigger wheels, but enthusiasts loved every bit of it and the car AND those parts still sell extremely well and are sought after by enthusiasts.
I'm sorry sir, but I think you are very wrong. We'll have to wait and see since I don't' think this exact model will come stateside, but if and when it does, I think you'll be eating your words. :) If I'm wrong, I'll find this post again and correct myself and apologize to you. :)
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vectorbug 1:12PM (10/27/2006)
Needs more AWD.
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Andy 1:50PM (10/27/2006)
I own one of the late model MKIV 20th anniversary GTIs. They had a little more than lowered suspension and a body kit, but they WERE parts-bin cars (everything on the car except the interior was available in some form or another on another VW, just not all at one time). That said it's a great car; it's what the MKIV should have been, rather than the heavy, softly sprung VR6 model they tried to push off on people (the 20thAE had the 1.8t and due to the weight reduction was quite a bit faster than the VR6, despite being down 20hp).
The 20th AE in the sates (model year 2003) was sold a year or two earlier in Europe as the 25th AE. (Europe got the Golf/GTI before we did) If VW brings the European 30th over, it will likely be late next year or early 2008 as a 2008 model year car and would be called the 25th AE. All speculation though, but I'd be tempted to trade up.
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kag 1:52PM (10/27/2006)
Corey- Actually BBS CHs. (Challenge)
Sean C- It Photoshopped, albeit by VWUK. The rest of your post is right on.
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srivendel 3:15PM (10/27/2006)
I don't like it in red at all. Give it to me in Candy White with those wheels and this would be great, but the orangish red looks like crap with those gunmetal wheels.
S.
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peter 4:46PM (10/27/2006)
#16 people will never learn what DGS is actually is.
Here is a video of DSG comparing to the 6 speed http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/04/21/video-dsg-vs-6-speed-manual/
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Jason 5:08PM (10/27/2006)
They had me until I saw the plaid seats. And then I almost lost my lunch with the golf ball shifter. If I wanted a toy, I'd buy a hot wheels. Pass.
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