Volkswagen's celebration of the Golf GTI's 50th anniversary is still in full swing. To mark the milestone, Wolfsburg has also produced all sorts of wild concept cars that dare to deviate from the usual GTI formula. The craziest was probably the rear-wheel-drive W12 from 2007, but the 2014 roadster wasn't even remotely suitable for production.
The less extravagant GTI study was presented in 2013 – shortly after the Golf 7 GTI hit the market. This unique model was also once again pulled out of the archives by VW. And although this design is not as radical as the other two, it also has a lot to offer. Based on the three-day body, which is now no longer produced for the Golf, the Design Vision GTI presents a vehicle that is uncompromisingly designed for the racetrack – once again much more extreme than the excellent new Edition 50.
Engineers in Wolfsburg have made the car lower, shortened the body and widened it by 71 millimeters compared to the Golf 7 GTI. To further differentiate it from the road-going model, VW has developed special 20-inch wheels with central locking and installed carbon-ceramic brakes on all four corners.
The interior of the Design Vision GTI is also very different from the production model. In order to save weight, not only were the rear seats removed, but the dashboard was also completely redesigned. I don't know if I noticed the similarities at the time, but the cockpit is reminiscent of the Audi R8. It comes from a time when VW's interiors were all about functionality: even this racing-oriented, simplified concept has physical buttons and dials.
Behind the two bucket seats, there's an X-shaped reinforcement to stiffen the bodywork; two floor-mounted helmets below emphasize the track-focused feel. Elsewhere, the red door opening fabrics look like they came straight from a Porsche 911 GT3 RS; and they didn't skimp on the use of Alcantara and carbon.
Like the aforementioned GTI Roadster concept, the Design Vision GTI bids farewell to the classic front-wheel drive and instead opts for all-wheel drive – similar to the Golf R. The similarities extend all the way to the engine: this unique model uses a 3,0-liter V6 with biturbo that delivers 503 hp (370 kW) and 560 Nm of torque – the same as the GTI Roadster.
Like the open-top Golf GTI, this study also sends power to both axles via a dual-clutch transmission. The combination of the V6 and DSG, together with the 4Motion system, allows VW to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3,9 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h. Like the roadster and the crazy W12 beast, the Design Vision GTI is a fully drivable concept car.
VW never intended the car to be mass-produced; its sole purpose was to attract an audience to the GTI meet at Lake Wörthersee. But like the other two concepts, it's not exactly the easiest to drive. While fully functional, it lacks the fine-tuning you'd expect from a production model.
