One of the world’s favourite hot hatch, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, is turning 40 next year, and what better way to celebrate your 40th birthday than to hit the club? Well, not quite literally, of course. As previewed a few months back at the 2015 Wörthersee show, this is the production version of the Golf GTI Clubsport.
Don’t waste your time trying to find the differences between the concept car and the production version, because the latter looks identical to the concept. The new front bumper gives the GTI Clubsport a meaner face, and it even has side burns to go with the macho looks. They’re not only cosmetic upgrades, but the side burns are actually aero trim pieces to channel the air to the side vents in the bumper.
The black trim piece also extends to the side sill, and VW said it’s a nod to the 1976 Golf GTI but this time they added “Clubsport” lettering on it as well. There’s a new set of 18-inch wheels for the Clubsport, but pictured here are the optional 19-inch “Brescia” alloys.
The side mirror caps and roof is painted black, and there’s a bigger rear spoiler siting on top of the rear hatch. The smoked LED tail lights are derived from the Golf R, and further down the bumper the dual round pipes are bigger than the ones on the regular GTI.
Inside, the Clubsport is fitted with a couple of bucket seats, wrapped in a mix of tartan fabric and Alcantara. The steering wheel is also wrapped in Alcantara, complete with red marking at the 12 o’clock position. Apart from that, the cabin has been spruced up with a red line on the seatbelts and trim inserts finished in a special pattern called “Honeycomb 40“.
During the 34th GTI Meet in Wörthersee, the Clubsport was hinted to be the sportiest production GTI ever, and VW doesn’t disappoint. The 4-cylinder 2.0 TFSI unit gets massaged to liberate more power out of it. The power has increased to 261 hp, but for a short burst the driver can summon up to 286 hp using the overboost function by flooring the throttle pedal.
The Clubsport can be had in either a six-speed manual or a six-speed DSG ‘box, and if you opt for the former, the Clubsport will hit 100 km/h in six seconds flat while the DSG will cut that time by 0.1 seconds. Top speed however, is capped at 250 km/h for both.
The GTI Clubsport will be making its first appearance in production form at the upcoming 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Will it make it to Malaysia? Let’s wait and see.
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