VOLKSWAGEN up! GTI Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

When a bunch of engineers is trying to implant the most powerful engine into the smallest car of the company, this is what you get: the up! GTI.

The 2018 up! GTI was a resemblance of the original Golf GTI from 1976. It might as well be the born year for some of the engineers that worked on the project, or to some of their parents. The team took the 1liter turbocharged engine from the shelf and installed it into the up! They even mated it with a 6-speed gearbox. And, if the first Golf GTI offered 110 hp and 140 Nm (103.2 lb-ft), up! featured 115 hp and 200 Nm (147.5 lb-ft).

Some little details tell the difference between a regular up! and a GTI version. First of all, there was a red stripe over the black grille. On the sides, there were double stripes over the side sills and, in the rear, the black liftgate had one red stripe on it and a larger roof-spoiler on top. The up! GTI came standard with 17” light-alloy wheels.

The interior of the car had the same sporty appeal as the outside. The fabric on the seats matched the pattern on the original Golf GTI with classic tartan fabric pattern with off-white and red stripes on a black background on the center panels of the seats. The dashboard featured a "pixels red" design matched with the black and red interior elements. The upper door panels were in body-color.