Volkswagen Golf GTi celebrates 40th birthday with classic
For those of us of a certain age — those who remember the original and revered it as being one of the most important automotive landmarks of any era — the 40th anniversary of the GTi is a terribly significant milestone, not least because we lived with it and loved it for longer than we have our wives.
I do hope my dearly beloved spouse does not take offence at that last statement, but that’s just the thing about special cars: We are all allowed to love them and venerate them as much as we like — just as long as this adoration does not get in the way of more important things (children, home, life, etc) or financially impair any of the aforementioned.
For those lucky enough to be in such a position, the 40th birthday of the GTi presents a couple of remarkable opportunities as VW has gone and produced two special edition models of the car: The Clubsport S (300+ bhp, stripped to the bone with no rear seats, few creature comforts, and fast as hell) and the ‘regular’ Clubsport which we try here.
The differences between this anniversary edition and the standard GTi are many and varied, both under the hood and in the interior and exterior design.
The most important improvements are on the engine front, where the output has been upped by a substantial 45 bhp from 220 to 265, but there is also an overboost facility which, under hard acceleration, will increase that output to a whopping 290 bhp.
This, I can assure you, makes for a very, very quick machine and while the overall performance figures between the standard car and this don’t differ alarmingly — the 0-100km/h time for the Clubsport is only 0.2 seconds faster and the top speed differential is marginal — but you can feel that the anniversary car has a depth to it which is obviously a few fathoms greater than the standard fare.
This is a far more visceral experience than is the case with the regular car and it can honestly be said that trying to get to the bottom of this version of VW’s much lauded EA888 two-litre turbo will be a task that even the most accomplished pilots among you will find to be a difficult ask.
Its range of capability is pretty breathtaking when you consider it is a mere four-pot turbo and when allied to the slickest of slick six-speed manual box and the dark art trickery of the electronics which keep the power distributed between the driven front wheels without slipping into the murky world of understeer; the breadth of the overall achievement is startlingly clear.
It is impossible to say that the standard GTi pales by comparison to the birthday boy, but the Clubsport simply has a much greater reserve of muscular talent at its disposal and, what with a sharper steering rack and a much deeper aural tone, the whole experience is intensified to a delightful degree.
So, with sure-footedness a given, grip levels which would shock a toupee owner, power that would startle a power station manager, and ride characteristics which will not necessitate immediate dental care, this GTi is a sublime development of an original and ongoing classic.
And then you get to appreciate the exterior and interior tweaks which will further add to the caddish ability of those lucky enough to get their hands on one — the 400-unit Clubsport S has already sold out, but there are still a few of this model to be had — to brag endlessly of their wisdom and foresight at having purchased one.
The outside has been given a new front end look with unique front bumper and splitter, as well as ‘air curtains’, while at the back there is a model-specific rear spoiler and a diffuser housed in the rear bumper which also incorporates the twin exhausts. All of this is very good to look at without drawing undue attention from those who like to relieve you of the thing.
The interior, too, has various exclusive elements, not least the snug sports seats, the alcantara-covered steering wheel with its neat red 12 o clock marker, and a raft of other Clubsport detailing — not to mention all the necessarily modern connectivity stuff — which give the car an explicit and unambiguous identity.
The tester was only a three-door, which will not suit everyone, but there is a five-door available, so Mr or Mrs Family should not fret. The three-door is really only for childless people of Johnny No Mate types, such is the degree of difficulty in accessing the rear bench, but the boot space is decent enough to satisfy your average golfer or angler.
I am delighted to report positively on something from Wolfsburg for the second time in a row, but I cannot but note that both cars (the other was the recently tested and brilliant one-litre Up!) are petrol models and it is probably a no-brainer that the company PR department is focusing on anything but diesel right now.
The slightly worrying thing, from an enthusiast’s point of view, is that VW is now trenchantly steering towards a largely electric future and it may be that in times to come, the company will not produce absolute gems such as the Golf GTi Clubsport.
Given the legacy of the GTi brand, such a future would be a terrible abomination and I do genuinely hope VW has the maturity and foresight to realise that and continue to build seriously capable and oh so terribly good machines such as this one.
A world without the VW Golf GTi — whatever iteration that might be — would be a much poorer place indeed. And the world today is indeed a much better place thanks to the fact VW sought to properly celebrate the 40th birthday of its GTi icon with a variant which is as completely and ridiculously enjoyable as this one.
Colley’s Verdict
- Not cheap but worth it. From €44,375 - €45,157 as tested.
- EA888. We salute you.
- Plenty of toys, but the mechanicals are the star here.
- If you’re a GTi junkie, then you need this fix.
