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Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport Could Get Lightweight Version for Worthersee Event

Volkswagen’s Golf GTI could receive yet another special edition version.
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport 1 photo
Photo: Volkswagen
The rumored performance version of the hot hatch is expected to be shown at this year’s Worthersee event, the annual Volkswagen owner meet held in Austria.

According to company insiders, the new version of the Golf GTI is based on the Clubsport model and will be a car optimized to achieve a lower weight. The resulting model is reportedly called Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport. This would be the fourth version of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI.

If this were not enough, the German company still offers an R version of the Golf, and the performance range based on the Golf is expected to receive a 420 HP model.

The information regarding the implied Clubsport Lightweight version of the Golf GTI comes from an unnamed high-ranking official at Volkswagen’s Braunschweig research and development center in Germany.

The unnamed official revealed information regarding the future Golf version in an interview with the Brits at Autocar.

The potential Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport Lightweight is as close to a race car as a road-going vehicle can be. The model was conceptualized for customers interested in track day events behind the wheel of the lightest production Golf VII GTI ever made.

The car is set to receive a recalibrated version of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine found in the standard Golf GTI Clubsport. According to the source quoted by Autocar, the engine could deliver up to 300 HP.

Depending on which will provide the best performance-to-weight ratio, the model could be fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox or a DSG unit.

Either way, the Golf GTI Clubsport is set to receive an electronically controlled differential, not a mechanical unit. The latter is an unusual decision given the car’s intended purpose, as a conventional limited-slip mechanical differential is better suited for high-performance applications than any electronically controlled units.

According to company insiders, the current Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport can momentarily reach the 300 HP mark, but only in the over-boost regime and for a brief period. The torque figure is set to remain unchanged from the 280 lb-ft (380 Nm).

Among the changes involved to shed some weight, we can mention removing some sound-deadening materials, along with the rear seats. Since Volkswagen is still under fire for its Dieselgate scandal and is on a cost-cutting spree, the company might not offer a production version of the GTI Clubsport Lightweight model. However, we can wait and see what the public’s reaction will be on this car and maybe the German company will change its mind.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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