What's all this about?
The fastest front-wheel drive production hot hatch in the world (we'll qualify this grandiose statement in a minute) is coming to the UK in limited numbers. This is good news. However, all 150 examples of the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S heading here have already been snapped up by eager punters. This is not good news. Unless you are one of the said eager punters. We're not. Damn.
Crikey, that went quick! Why is it so popular?
A stripped-out, ultra-focused lightweight version of the performance Golf, Volkswagen says the Clubsport S is the ultimate iteration of the venerable Golf GTI, a car that has seen more than 40 years of service. And we called it the fastest hot hatch in the world because it holds the front-wheel drive lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, storming round in 7m 49.21s in May of this year to wrench the crown from the pumped-up Honda Civic Type R.
How did Volkswagen get a Golf GTI to lap so fast?
The Clubsport S is pretty special. It has the same basic 2.0-litre EA888 engine as either a regular GTI or the all-wheel drive Golf R, but here various upgrades - including a new fuel pump - see peak power up to a giddy 310hp at 5,800- to 6,500rpm. Allied to maximum torque of 380Nm from 1,850- to 5,700rpm, this means the Clubsport S can do 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 164mph.
Good figures, but not game-changing - is there anything else?
It's not about what's been added, so much as what has been taken away. The Golf GTI Clubsport S is, as we've already mentioned, a lightweight at just 1,285kg - not much heavier than a Ford Fiesta ST. Volkswagen achieved this trimness by making the battery smaller while fashioning the front sub frame and all the brake callipers out of aluminium. And then it hired in a big skip and took all of the following 'fripperies' out of a regular GTI: sound deadening, the variable boot compartment floor, the parcel shelf, all the floor mats, the bonnet dampers and - obvious one, this - the rear seats. Owners could specify air conditioning in as a no-cost option, as Volkswagen deleted even that item, but anyone who did go for a bit of cooling has added another 10kg back onto the Clubsport's svelte frame.
What else has Volkswagen done to the hottest Golf?
A set of 235/35 ZR19 Michelin tyres are wrapped around Pretoria alloy wheels. The Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) system features a special Nürburgring mode, over and above the regular settings, while the exhaust system has swelled in diameter by 10mm to 65mm in total. There are also some tasty race-derived bucket seats. Heated, for some reason.
So imagine the car is still for sale. What could I specify and how much would it cost me?
You'd have had a choice of just three colours - Tornado Red, Pure White or Deep Black - and it would have set you back a not-too-steep £33,995 to secure one of the 150 right-hand drive examples of a total build run of just 400 units worldwide. Shame you've missed the boat already. However, don't despair just yet, as there's another GTI Clubsport to speak of.
Is there?
Yes, although this one isn't anything like as focused or exclusive. Or rapid around the Nürburgring. The £30,395 Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40 celebrates said birthday of the iconic Volkswagen hatch and comes with a 265hp version of the 2.0-litre engine (the previous most potent MkVII GTI has 230hp) that can kick out 290hp during a time-limited overboost phase. Both this, and the bonkers Clubsport S, share DNA with the Golf GTI TCR racing car that was launched at the start of the year.
Matt Robinson - 4 Aug 2016
