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Hot hatchbacks – and much more
© VolkswagenEven if it wasn’t strictly the first, Volkswagen is synonymous with creating the hot hatchback. Its legendary GTI badge has been associated with warmed-over Golfs for 45 years, and has also graced other Volkswagen models, too. But GTIs aren’t the only performance cars the Wolfsburg carmaker is famous for. A slew of racing- and luxury-inspired models have been launched in recent years. Here are a few of the more notable – and not quite so notable – hot VWs.
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1976 Volkswagen Golf GTI
© VolkswagenLet’s start with the grandad of them all, the Mk1 Golf GTI. Conceived as an undercover and out-of-hours project, the ‘Sport Golf’ finally received factory blessing for a 5,000-unit production run in 1975. The first hot Golf arrived a year later and married the Audi 80 (B1) GTE’s 110hp fuel-injected 1.6-litre engine to a stiffened chassis, instantly becoming a cult hit. Offering sports-car-like performance with hatchback practicality, the early 810kg Golf GTI sprinted to 60mph in around nine seconds. It also introduced the world to chequered seats, the golf ball gearknob and wheel-in-the-air attitude. A 1.8-litre 112hp version arrived in 1982.
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1972 Volkswagen GT Beetle
© VolkswagenRarely do the original Beetle and performance go together. But in 1972, 2,500 GT Beetles were produced to celebrate 300,000 UK Beetle imports. Based on the European 1300S, the sportiest Beetle yet had a 1584cc engine, 4.5J ‘Lemmerz’ GT steel wheels, front disc brakes, and only came in three fruity colours: Apple Green, Lemon Yellow and Tomato Red. A heady top speed (for a Beetle) of 85mph and a power output of 50hp meant the GT Beetle could show a clean pair of tyre tracks to a contemporary 1302 S.
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1997 Volkswagen W12 Coupe
© VolkswagenSometimes referred to as the Volkswagen Nardo, the W12 Coupe was perhaps the most extreme Volkswagen ever. A low-slung supercar powered by a 414hp 5.6-litre W12 engine, it was styled by Mk1 Golf and Scirocco designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Mid-engined and four-wheel drive, the car remained a concept, but a further two examples were made: a roadster in 1998 (the red car we featured earlier) and a monstrous 591hp Coupé in 2001. In 2002, a W12 took the world record for all speed classes over 24 hours at the Nardo Ring. The car covered a distance of 7,740.576 kilometres (4,809.8 miles) at an average speed of 322.891kph (200.6mph). The W12 has also appeared in several racing games – including the Gran Turismo series.
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1989 Volkswagen Golf G60 Limited
© VolkswagenUndoubtedly the rarest of all the Mk2 Golf GTI variants, the Golf G60 Limited was hand-built and designed by Volkswagen Motorsport. Only 71 were made, almost exclusively with five doors (only two three-door models are reported to exist). The 210hp supercharged engine was mated to Syncro four-wheel drive for a 7.2-second 0-62mph time. Basically a Golf Rallye without the party frock, equipment was generous, but the car was much more subtle. Blue bumper piping replaced the standard GTI red trim, while a Volkswagen Motorsport badge adorned a single-headlamp grille. BBS RM012 15-inch alloy wheels helped mark out the stealthiest of Golfs, while a numbered plaque proclaimed its limited status. At a price of DM68,500, most G60 Limiteds were sold to Volkswagen management and employees.
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1998 Volkswagen Polo GTI
© VolkswagenThe first Polo GTI was a limited production car, launched in the autumn of 1998. Based on the Mk3 Polo from 1994, the 3,000-run GTI was distinguished by its 15-inch BBS alloys, Golf GTI-style badges and bright red brake calipers and seatbelts. A new 1.6-litre 16v engine was good for 120hp and 0-60mph in 9.1 seconds. Even though it was lowered by 15mm and had a wider track, it wasn’t as agile as many rivals. But it was more fun than the contemporary Golf GTI and, at £11,000, German drivers got a bit of a bargain. When the proper series production car arrived a year later, the price was closer to £14,000.
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2001 Volkswagen Lupo GTI
© VolkswagenJust as the first Volkswagen Polo GTI was nearing the end of its life, Volkswagen dropped its 125hp 1.6-litre 16v engine into the baby Lupo. A price tag of around £13,000 meant the hot Lupo was undeniably expensive, but extensive use of aluminium meant that, at 978kg, it was also very light. A striking body kit, a pair of central exhausts and a fake allen-bolted instrument cluster meant the baby GTI was stylish as well as fast. A six-speed gearbox was also standard from 2002. It could hit 62mph in 7.3 seconds and 127mph.
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2001 Volkswagen Passat W8
© VolkswagenIts price may have been more Mercedes-Benz territory, but the oft-overlooked 4.0-litre Passat W8 was gunning for the big boys. Like the Golf VR6 from almost 10 years earlier, the 275hp all-wheel-drive Passat was more of an executive express than a sports car. A 6.3-second 0-60mph time meant it was as hot as the curry from which its ‘Madras’ alloy wheels took their name, while grippy handling and plenty of equipment added to its appeal. Nonetheless, sales were low.
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2001 Volkswagen New Beetle RSi
© VolkswagenThere was undoubtedly something in the water in Wolfsburg during the early 2000s. Along with the outlandish W12 Coupe and intriguing Passat W8, Volkswagen also introduced the New Beetle RSi. Conceived as a testing platform for the upcoming Golf R32 – the Beetle was based on Mk4 Golf running gear – the RSi featured a 225hp 3.2-litre V6 up-front. Even though weight was around the 1,500kg mark thanks to 4Motion four-wheel drive, the cartoon-winged Bug dispatched 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds. The 9Jx18 OZ Superturismo rims were a highlight, along with terracotta leather Recaro seats, carbon fibre and billet aluminium inside. Only 250 were made, priced at nearly £45,000.
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1992 Volkswagen Golf VR6
© VolkswagenThe arrival of the Mk3 Golf in 1991 saw the GTI lose its way, becoming overweight and underpowered. Even a 150hp 16v model couldn’t re-ignite the hot Golf’s fire. Not to worry, though, as Volkswagen had a solution: the 175hp Golf VR6. The world’s first six-cylinder compact car, the VR6 was marketed as more of a luxury express than a hot hatchback. A 7.2-second 0-62mph time comfortably beat that of the hottest GTI, while the silky smooth delivery from its 2.8-litre V6 engine and top speed of 150mph ensured it was quite special. Overall, the six-pot Golf had a very different feel to its GTI siblings.
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1983 Volkswagen Scirocco Bimotor
© VolkswagenIn the 1990s, there was a trend on the VW tuning scene for putting another engine in the back of your car. But guess what? Volkswagen got there itself a decade earlier. The Scirocco Bimotor was based on the second-generation of VW’s curvy coupé and had a pair of non-production 1.8-litre engines plumbed into either end. Each motor produced 180hp, and all 360hp was put to the road by a limited-slip differential at either end. The twin-engined ’Rocco could sprint to 60mph from rest in 4.1 seconds and beat a Porsche 911 Turbo to 110mph. Also faster than a Audi Sport Quattro, the eight-cylinder, four-wheel-drive Scirocco experiment was repeated with a better-finished 282hp car. Preceding both, however, was a VW Motorsport-created 220hp Twin-Jet Jetta.
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1983 Volkswagen Polo Sprint
© VolkswagenThe Polo was the last of Volkswagen’s new water-cooled and front-driven models to debut in the 1970s, but here’s a rear-wheel-drive version. Built in 1983 to evaluate vehicle handling, the one-off Polo featured a 1.9-litre Caravelle flat-four engine under the boot floor, with an early development of Volkswagen’s ‘G-Lader’ supercharger. Power leapt from 90 to 155hp, while top speed was 125mph – a whole 20mph faster than the 75hp Polo Coupé of the time. The Polo Sprint knocked 3.5 seconds off the coupé’s 0-60mph time, and equally as wild were its orange metalflake paint job – similar to the second Scirocco Bimotor – blistered wheelarches, and purple Velvetex dashboard.
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1992 Volkswagen Vento VR6
© VolkswagenFor the third generation of its booted-Golf, Volkswagen dropped the Jetta name in Europe (it remained in the USA) and rechristened its family-sized saloon ‘Vento’. Broadly similar to the Mk3 Golf in terms of engines and trim, the most powerful Vento adopted the new 2.8-litre, narrow-angle VR6 engine to create a luxurious range-topper. Rated at 175hp, power was the same as the six-cylinder Golf, but the Vento’s extra weight meant performance was slightly down, with 0-62mph coming up 0.6 seconds slower than the hatchback. The Vento VR6 can trace its roots back to the 1979 Jetta VR6, built to evaluate Volkswagen’s range of in-line compact engines.
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2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S
© VolkswagenPosting a seven-minute, 47-second lap around the fearsome Nurburgring circuit in December 2016, and smashing the record time for a front-wheel-drive car in the process, the Golf GTI Clubsport S, like its Porsche 968 namesake, ditched its rear seats as part of a diet regime. Launched to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Golf GTI in 2016, the track-focused Clubsport S was produced in a 400-unit run, with 150 bound for the UK. The hottest Golf at the time, the 310hp Clubsport S scampered to 62mph from rest in 5.8 seconds, while the more extreme front and rear spoilers produced a small amount of downforce to aid handling.
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2013 Volkswagen Polo R WRC
© VolkswagenNo, not all the all-conquering, four-time world champion rally car, but the road-going machine it inspired. Unveiled in Monaco ahead of the Polo’s first competitive outing on the 2013 Monte Carlo Rally, the blue and grey Polo R WRC used a unique 2.0-litre TSI engine based on that from the Mk6 Golf GTI. Good for 217hp and 258lb ft of torque – a whole 39hp and 74lb ft more than the high-performance Polo GTI of the time – it scorched to 62mph in 6.4 seconds and on to 151mph. Only available in white, notable Polo R WRC features included 18-inch ‘Cagliari’ alloy wheels, bespoke bumpers and blue brake calipers. Only 2,500 examples of the €33,900 Polo R WRC were ever made, and all were left-hand drive.
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2002 Volkswagen Golf R32
© VolkswagenWith a lowly 125hp, the Mk4 Golf GTI was effectively just a European-spec 2.0 Highline – and by the time more powerful 150hp and 180hp versions arrived, the fourth-generation GTI’s reputation had been tarnished. Step forward the R32. Featuring the Beetle RSi’s VR6 engine, the most powerful production Golf produced 240hp at 6,250rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox transferred power to the road – VW’s dual-clutch DSG ’box also made its debut on the R32 – and 0-62mph arrived in just 6.3 seconds. Four-wheel drive ensured limpet-like traction, while a gaping-grille bodykit and 18-inch OZ Aristo alloy wheels with blue brake calipers made the R32 stand out.
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1986 Volkswagen Scirocco GTX 16v
© VolkswagenLaunched in March 1981, the second-generation Scirocco eschewed Giorgetto Giugiaro’s ‘folded paper’ style for a curvier in-house design. The GTI version had the original Golf GTI’s 110hp engine under its bonnet, but in 1986, the GTX 16v arrived, fitted with Volkswagen’s new 139hp 1.8-litre 16v engine. Uprated suspension, rear disc brakes and a lower strut brace ensured the chassis could handle the increased performance, while twin exhausts and discreet ‘16v’ badging – including on the glovebox – marked out the multi-valve coupe. Only 10 examples of the left-hand-drive GTX 16v were officially imported to the UK.
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2018 Volkswagen Up GTI
© VolkswagenAnnounced at the famous Woerthersee GTI meet in Austria, the Up GTI has all the hallmarks of the very first Golf GTI. At 997kg, it’s relatively light for a modern car, and 115hp from a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine is near-identical to the later 1.8-litre incarnation of VW’s performance icon. The 0-62mph sprint takes 8.8 seconds, while the Up GTI maxes out at 122mph. It’s fun to drive and very affordable, priced at around £15,000.
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1977 Volkswagen Passat GTI
© VolkswagenYes, you read that right: a Passat GTI. An experimental car built in 1977, it featured the original Golf GTI’s 110hp 1.6-litre fuel-injected engine, front and rear spoilers, red trim stripes, plastic wheelarch spats, ‘Bahama Blue’ paintwork, a ‘spittoon’ steering wheel, and GTI seat covers. Based on the facelifted three-door ‘coupe’ version of Volkswagen’s first-generation, Audi 80-inspired saloon, the Passat GTI remained a concept. It can now be seen in the AutoMuseum Volkswagen in Wolfsburg.
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2008 Volkswagen Touareg R50
© VolkswagenAhead of the current SUV craze, Volkswagen produced its most outrageous sports utility vehicle in 2008. The Touareg R50 married a 350hp 5.0-litre V10 TDI diesel engine to four-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic gearbox that could handle 627lb ft (850Nm) of torque. The R50’s 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds was startling for a car weighing more than 2.5 tonnes. Volkswagen famously staged a publicity stunt with a standard 750Nm Touareg V10 TDI pulling a Boeing 747 – but with even more torque, we’d like to see the Touareg R50 repeat the exercise. Perhaps with an Airbus A380…
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1989 Volkswagen Golf Rallye
© VolkswagenDeveloped predominantly for competition, the box-arched Golf Rallye of 1989 looks almost unrecognisable. Produced in a limited run of 5,000 units for homologation into the 1990 World Rally Championship, the GTI’s 1,781cc four-cylinder engine was downsized to 1,763cc to satisfy FIA regulations. When fitted with a G-Lader supercharger, though, power was upped to 160hp, which punted the Rallye to 62mph in 8.6 seconds and a top speed of 130mph. A Syncro four-wheel-drive system ensured traction was up to handling gravel tracks as well as winding tarmac, and even though the Rallye was exclusively left-hand drive, the car was sold in the UK.
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1992 Volkswagen Corrado VR6
© VolkswagenVolkswagen was nothing if not resourceful with its compact six-cylinder engine during the early 1990s. As well as the Golf, Vento, and Passat, the VR6 was also dropped into the largely Mk2 Golf-based Corrado coupe to create a sporting flagship. Here, displacement was 2.9 litres and power was upped to 190hp. Top speed was 145mph, while 0-62mph took 6.4 seconds. On sale in August 1992, the £19,895 Corrado VR6 was a rare thing at the time: a properly-sorted hot Volkswagen. Now seen as a modern classic due to its smooth engine and vice-free handling, prices are on the up.
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1986 Volkswagen Jetta GT Special
© VolkswagenNot an official model from the factory, the Jetta GT Special was unique to the UK. Based on the 112hp 1.8-litre Jetta GT, which shared its engine with the contemporary Mk2 Golf GTI, the GT Special was a ‘designer car’ sold by tuning company GTI Engineering. Special equipment included a sliding steel sunroof, tinted glass and a very striking bodykit with a two-tone white/grey finish. A set of 15-inch white alloy wheels finished off the Jetta GT Special, along with a GTI Engineering steering wheel.
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2007 Volkswagen Golf GTI W12-650
© VolkswagenThirty years after Volkswagen launched the GTI in the UK, it produced the wildest version ever. ‘W12-650’ referred to the car’s engine and power output: yes, 650hp in a Golf! The twin-turbo W12 engine sent power to the rear wheels through a six-speed Tiptronic gearbox. Around 70mm lower than a standard Mk5 GTI, the W12-650 was also a massive 160mm broader. It featured cartoon-like enlarged sills and front grilles that looked like they could eat Lamborghinis for breakfast. The 0-62mph dash was dispensed with in 3.7 seconds and top speed was a stratospheric 201mph. Sadly, the GTI W12-650 remained a concept.
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2006 Volkswagen Passat R36
© VolkswagenThe second Volkswagen to wear the ‘R’ badge, the Passat R36 of 2006 was the fastest version of the large saloon and estate yet produced. A 3.6-litre, 300hp V6 engine sat beneath the hot Passat’s bonnet, while a six-speed DSG gearbox channeled power to all four wheels. Uprated suspension and brakes completed the mechanical makeover, while 18-inch wheels and a Golf R32-like front end with a chrome ‘V’ grille and gaping air ducts added visual menace. Top speed was electronically limited to 155mph, while the 0-62mph dash took just 5.6 seconds.
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1991 Volkswagen Gol GTI
© VolkswagenIn Brazil, the Gol is one of Volkswagen’s most popular cars. Sitting between the Polo and Golf in size, the hatchback is named after the Portuguese word for ‘goal’ and was launched in 1981. Originally powered by a flat-four air-cooled engine (not a Beetle engine) it combined modern safety features with an older engine suited to the tropical climate it served. It could even run on alcohol. In 1988, the first Gol GTI arrived, with a 112hp 2.0-litre engine and top speed of 119mph. The car seen here is a facelifted model, produced in 1991.
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2013 Volkswagen Golf R Cabriolet
© VolkswagenAfter the success of the Golf GTI Cabriolet in 2012, Volkswagen introduced this even hotter model a year later. Based on the Mk6 version of VW’s best-seller, it instantly became the fastest production open-top Golf. A 265hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine drove the front wheels via a six-speed DSG gearbox. The £38,770 range-topping R Cabriolet was capable of ruffling bouffants at 155mph, and could reach 62mph in 6.4 seconds. Outside, bespoke bumpers, a gloss black front grille and brake calipers, smoked tail lights and 18- or 19-inch ‘Talladega’ alloy wheels set it apart from the lesser GTI.