Yes, you read that right. The upcoming Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 is now the fastest production VW to ever lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife, clocking a time of 7:46.13 with driver Benny Leuchter behind the wheel. That’s even quicker than its supposedly more powerful big brother, the Golf R.
To be clear, this here is not the same as the Edition 50 that we got in Malaysia last year. Instead, it’s a new soon-to-be-released variant in Europe, which Volkswagen claims it is their most powerful Golf GTI ever made, based on the Mk 8.5 facelift.
While official performance figures haven’t been revealed just yet, VW’s hints means that the 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four mill here will most likely make more than the 265 hp and 370 Nm from the standard GTI. It could even surpass the MK 7 GTI Clubsport S from nearly a decade ago, which had 310 hp and 380 Nm. For context, the current MK 8.5 Golf R delivers 333 hp and 420 Nm.
Volkswagen did reveal that the Golf GTI Edition 50 used for the official lap was rocking the “Performance Package”, which includes specially developed lightweight 19-inch semi-slick Potenza Race tyres from Bridgestone, wrapped around lightweight forged alloy wheels.
ALSO READ: New 2024 Volkswagen Golf R Mk8.5 gets more horsepower, but loses manual gearbox
The driver for the official laptime, Benny Leachter, also makes the feat even more special. Almost 10 years ago, he set Volkswagen’s first Nürburgring lap record in the MK 7 Golf GTI Clubsport S, with a time of 7:49.21. later in 2022, he beat that record with the MK 8 Golf R “20 Years” edition, clocking 7:47.31.
This time, in the MK 8.5 Golf GTI Edition 50, his 7:46.13 lap is just 1.25 seconds behind the world record holder for production front-wheel-drive cars, the FL5 Honda Civic Type R. That’s certainly no easy feat – Watch the full on-board footage here and be amazed:
Leuchter said, “The new Golf GTI Edition 50 is a statement with which Volkswagen expresses the pure GTI idea – the combination of superior drive power and highly precise chassis with front-wheel drive – more effectively than ever before. It’s truly impressive how easily this Volkswagen can be moved so quickly over the Nordschleife track.”
If this motivated you to get your very own Volkswagen Golf GTI, the standard Volkswagen Golf GTI is available in Malaysia as a locally assembled model. It’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 245 hp and 370 Nm, with power sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Prices start from RM252,990 on-the-road, without insurance.
GALLERY
