With an eye on the
30th anniversary of the VW Golf GTI, the Volkswagen Design Center California displayed the VW R GTI concept car at the
2006 SEMA show in Las Vegas. The R in the name is meant to connect with the range-topping Golf
R32 model, but instead of that car's 3.2-litre VR6 engine, the VW R GTI is powered by a reworked 2-litre FSI four-cylinder unit, turbocharged to give 375bhp and 340lb.ft on 93 octane fuel, with a scarcely believable 400bhp available if fed with 100 octane fuel. That's enough to post a 0-60mph time of 4.8 seconds straight from build.
This extra power comes courtesy of a larger Garrett roller-bearing turbocharger and a front-mounted intercooler, both with twice the flow capacity of the standard items. But this car is not just about extra power. A Quaife limited-slip differential has been added to make best use of that power and the suspension has been uprated with a kit from H&R Tuning. This is Vegas, so the set of 19-inch diameter alloy wheels wrapped in 265/30 R19 tyres is quite restrained. Large floating Brembo ventilated front discs with alloy bells, clamped by Brembo four-pot aluminium calipers ensure the R GTI stops as well as its goes, although painting the calipers in the colours of the German flag might not be to everyone's taste.
Acknowledging the fact that successive Golfs have got larger (and heavier) the R GTI has been on a diet. The front wings, bonnet, side skirts and tailgate are all carbon-fibre, as are the front spoiler, grille surround, tail spoiler and door mirror housings. Add in blacked out headlamp housings, smoked tail lens (from the Golf R32), black wheels, blacked-out windows and the menacing black paint, and the stealth effect is complete.
No concept car would be complete without a trick interior. The R GTI has separate bucket seats for four, all trimmed in black leather with red stitching (another homage to the original Golf GTI) and carbon-fibre trim on the dash and door panels to complete the sporty look. The rear seats were custom made as a single carbon-fibre buck with padded leather inserts to save even more weight.
Unfortunately for us, the VW R GTI is a one-off and there are no plans to put it into production.
Trevor Nicosia - 30 Nov 2006
