Volkswagen placed our spy photographers on alert this week when it rolled out a mysterious red-colored Golf GTI hatch with some minor modifications on and around the Nürburgring track in Germany.
The first thing you’ll notice about this undisguised tester is the huge, but crude-looking, roof wing, with the rest of the upgrades including a slightly different front lip spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels, a lowered suspension and if our eyes are not playing games with us, bigger brake discs. And, oh; there’s also a pair of “Sports” decals on the hood.
So what it is? The word on the street in Germany is that it could be a stripped out, lighter and more powerful version of the Golf GTI, possibly bearing the much loved in the country, Club Sport designation.
It does make sense if you look at the VW Golf’s range, as there’s a power gap between the 220PS (217hp) GTI or the 230PS (227hp) GTI Performance edition and the top 300PS (296hp) Golf R, which could be covered by the GTI Club Sport, possibly with the use of one of the two Seat Leon Cupra 2.0 TFSI engines that develop 265PS (262hp) and 280PS (276hp).
We could learn firsthand what it is at the annual GTI festival in Worthersee, Austria, in May.
By John Halas
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS
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