750HP Volkswagen Golf R Is the Most Powerful in Its Country, Looks the Part

Need proof for that? Well, you need to look no further than the fact that Volkswagen dropped the R32 model after just two generations, settling instead on the plain "R" badge and a more mundane two-liter four-cylinder powerplant. Well, we say "mundane", but the truth is that, with 300 hp, the EA888 engine developed more power than the R32's V6 from the start.

Compared to that, though, the 750 hp of this Golf R seems completely alien. We've seen what a 414 hp R can do in a drag race against much more powerful contenders, so we can only imagine what this absolute monster would be like on the track. Sadly, that's all we can do - imagine - because the car isn't going to race. At least not for now.

The owner is a very knowledgeable, soft-spoken, pleasant guy who is clearly very passionate about cars in general and this Golf R in particular. He knows everything there is to know about the mods that have been made on the car, but the most important thing to remember is that the engine is actually stock. There are plenty of Golfs out there with Audi-sourced five-cylinder engine swaps that brag about similar power levels, but this hot hatch did it the hard way.

In doing so, it earned the unofficial title of the UK's most powerful four-cylinder Golf R, and, say what you want, that's definitely a title worth working for. And Sam, the owner, has put in a lot of work: the engine block may be stock, but a lot of the other stuff inside the bay is not. Actually, very little is, but all eyes are going to be on the big turbo - an Owen Developments GBT 69-86 unit running boost pressure of up to 42 psi (2.9 bar).

That's where the R makes the most power - 750 hp at the crank, but it may be even slightly more than that, apparently. Sam says he also runs a more relaxed configuration that drops pressure to 39 psi (2.7 bar) but still pushes out roughly 720 hp. As for torque, he says the maximum output is about 708 lb-ft (960 Nm), which is why the DSG gearbox required some strengthening.

Sam doesn't talk about actual performance, but with the car's AWD system and the quick shifts of the DSG, you can expect it to be pretty quick. He does mention the fact there are safety protocols in place that prevent the car from destroying itself even if a too eager driver asked it to, which means it might not always deliver full power even if it's in the maximum settings, but with such a high ceiling, there is still plenty to be had.

Being what feels like a pet project for Sam, he didn't leave out the interior either. There are no particular bits that stand out, and that's because Sam went for parts from the VAG universe. For instance, he got the infotainment system with the larger display from a Golf 7.5 (his is the pre-facelift Mark 7), as well as the digital instrument cluster, whereas the climate controls are taken off a Tiguan. All in all, they do a good job of bringing the atmosphere inside up a notch without breaking the cohesion.

Despite all the work and effort - not to mention money, as Sam reveals the total price tag (including the car) was around $124,000 - the owner has now parted with his pride and joy. However, the good news for those interested is that the new owner is giving the 750 hp Volkswagen Golf R in a raffle, so anyone interested in the ultimate right-hand-drive VW hot hatch has a chance to win it. We wouldn't take the chance driving it on the right side of the road, but if there was ever a reason to move to the UK, this might just be it.