VW celebrates GTI anniversary with special edition

Jun 22, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Wolfsburg, Germany - Volkswagen is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the GTI with a special GTI Edition 35 that comes with a higher top speed, XDS differential lock and a new bumper design which can be optionally equipped with bi-xenon headlights.

The aerodynamics were improved by winglets (air flow surfaces) positioned at lower outboard areas in the front. The '35' edition badge on the front wings identify the anniversary model. All Golf GTI Edition 35 cars are also equipped with smoked LED rear lights, an LED-illuminated licence plate at the rear and smoked rear windows.

In addition, Volkswagen has developed new, standard 18-inch 'Watkins Glen' alloy wheels for the Golf GTI Edition 35. The wheels, fitted with 225/40 R18 tyres, are available in one light-coloured version ('Sterling Silver') and one dark-coloured version ('Grey Metallic').

The interior was customized with the gear shift grip in the classic golf ball look of the first generation GTI and new decorative strips in the cockpit area and the door trim panels.

An additional 25 hp was tweaked out of the special edition with an output of 173 kW/235 hp. Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h is listed at 6.6 seconds with a top speed of 247 km/h.

Despite the high performance, VW lists consumption at only 8.0 l/100 km which translates to 189 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre. Power is transferred via either a manual 6-speed gearbox or an optional 6-speed DSG transmission.

Like all GTIs, the Edition 35 is equipped with a sport chassis; the body sits 15 mm lower than on a conventional Golf.

After originally planning to produce only 5,000 Golf GTIs, Volkswagen says it has meanwhile produced two million units of the car.