Volkswagen Marks 40 Years Of The GTI With 261hp Clubsport Concept

To celebrate its Golf GTI’s fourth decade in existence next year, Volkswagen has let the world’s eyes have a look at its GTI Clubsport concept. While what we see right now are sketches, Volkswagen plans on unveiling the real thing at the annual Worthersee festival in Austria. 

These sketches do a good-enough job of previewing a true Golf GTI Edition 40 (1976-2016). With a production model earmarked for 2016, Volkswagen’s possibly newest addition to its Golf stable would slot in between the ever-popular Golf GTI and the spicier Golf R.

The figures that accompany the GTI Clubsport concept seem to corroborate this pretty well, its turbocharged EA888 2.0-litre TSI four-cylinder is packing 261 horsepower compared to 220hp in the vanilla GTI and 292hp in the Golf R. Making a return is the 6-speed DSG gearbox, with the option of a 6-speed manual available as well.

Although we won’t know for sure until we see the real-life version, these sketches hint at a revised air dam and a pair of pronounced air intakes situated on either side of the front bumper, both have a glossy finish. In addition, some choice wheels and contrasting paint cues are also worth mentioning. Presumably, when the Edition 40 does make it to production next year (most likely), it might contain echoes of the Clubsport concept, but will likely be produced in limited numbers targetting GTI die-hards and collectors.