Volkswagen celebrates 50 years of the Golf at the 24H Nurburgring

New Launches 

If you’re going to launch a new car you may as well make a proper party of it. We’d be hard pressed to think of a better venue for a celebration for a German carmaker than the Nurburgring 24H race that took place over the weekend of 1-2 June. In a well-deserved celebration of the 50th anniversary of the iconic Golf, Germany’s largest motorsport event also saw the unveiling of the most powerful production Golf of the last five decades, the VW Golf GTi Clubsport.

Intended to be the range-topping model and the pinnacle of the latest generation, the new VW Golf GTi Clubsport boasts sharper exterior design, an enhanced interior, sports suspension, and some very impressive performance figures.

We should take a moment to explain that this isn’t the only new model in the latest line-up. The updated Golf still carries the same versatile appeal as the rest have done over the last 50 years. It will be available as both hatchback and estate, feature a range of engine and transmission options including some that utilise the power of electricity, and it will be available in a range of well-equipped trim-levels to suit pretty much everyone.

None of them will come close to the new GTi Clubsport though. And we mean that literally as well as hypothetically. Those lucky fans who were present at the big reveal were the first to get a glimpse of the Clubsport’s redesigned front end, updated LED headlights and tail lights, illuminated VW logo on the bonnet, and the rather large roof spoiler to maximise what promises to be lots of downforce.

The standard 19-inch alloy wheels are also new, featuring a familiar design of five oval semi-circles that first appeared on the fifth-generation Golf GTI. If you’re serious about sportiness, the Golf GTI Clubsport can also be configured with the new 19-inch Warmenau forged wheels that weigh a mere eight kilograms each to help reduce weight and increase performance.

The new Golf GTI Clubsport is as impressive inside as out too

As it’s the range-topping model, and one intended to ooze performance, you can expect to find the latest technology tucked away in its well-appointed and race-focused interior.

Designed to be as intuitive as possible so you can concentrate even better on the road ahead, the new Golf GTI Clubsport’s various systems are coordinated using a newly developed multifunction leather sports steering wheel and a new infotainment system. The new GTI model also features the IDA voice assistant with ChatGPT integration for even easier use.

And when it comes to performance, you can rest assured you’ll be getting exactly what you paid for should you make the eminently sensible decision to lease yourself one in the future.

That improved suspension we mentioned earlier can be combined with a specifically programmed DCC adaptive chassis control and a modified lateral dynamics setup that allows you to select driving profiles to suit the twisting undulations of a race track.

More importantly, even if you never take it anywhere near a track you can still get the benefit of the tuned 2.0-litre turbocharged engine.

The most powerful engine ever bolted into a VW Golf sends a whopping 300bhp to the wheels via an electronically controlled front differential lock for maximum grip and traction. It also delivers a very healthy 400Nm of torque which should make overtaking an absolute doddle.

When you add that all together you end up with a Golf GTI that accelerates from a standstill to 60mph in around 5.5 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. And just in case that’s not enough of a licence-losing risk for you, there’s also an optional Race package that removes the limiter so you can max out the Clubsport at 165mph instead.

And in case you were wondering how this all translates in the ‘real world’, the race results from the 24H Nurburgring tell the story.

The Max Kruse Racing team with drivers Benny Leuchter, Johan Kristoffersson, Nico Otto and Heiko Hammel entered the event with a 350bhp race-tuned Golf GTI Clubsport 24h complete with proper racing body kit that looks utterly fantastic.

Granted, it’s a modified version of the car you’ll be able to lease later in the year but the results speak for themselves. The GTi Clubsport was first in its class, finished five seconds ahead of 2nd place, and recorded a fastest lap that was around three seconds faster than its nearest rival and almost 45 seconds quicker than a Mark 7 Golf GTi TCR that was entered into the same class in the race.

Volkswagen are clearly intent on celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Golf in some style. Introducing the world to the most powerful GTi version of this iconic car is a glorious way to go about it.

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