Road-Legal Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR Teased With 290PS

Following the Clubsport models that made headlines a few years ago, Volkswagen is now ready to launch yet another special edition of the Golf GTI, wearing the TCR nameplate.

Announced for the GTI meeting at Worthersee, on May 9, the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR is basically the street legal version of the 350PS (345hp / 257kW) TCR racer. It has 290PS (286hp / 213kW) and 370Nm (273lb-ft) of torque available on tap, channeled to the front wheels through a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission.

No 0-100km/h (0-62mph) sprint time has been announced yet, but top speed is limited at 250km/h (155mph), and can be raised to 264km/h (164mph) by optionally removing the electronic Vmax limiter.

Also Watch: VW Golf GTI Clubsport S Just Smashed Its Own Nurburgring Lap Record

By comparison, the hotter Volkswagen Golf R has 20PS (20hp / 15kW) and 30Nm (22lb-ft) of torque more squeezed from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Naught to 100km/h (0-62 mph) takes 4.6 seconds with the R, so we’re probably looking at 4.7-4.8sec for the Golf GTI TCR.

“The fastest Golf GTI“, as referred to by Volkswagen, will be in near-production form at the automotive event that starts next week in Germany. However, customers won’t have to wait that long to get it, as the new model will be launched at the end of the year.

In the teaser images released by Volkswagen, which accompany the release, we can see a meaner-looking rear end, with a more aggressively-styled diffuser. Also visible are the front fascia, round dual exhaust pipes, decals and a set of 5-dual spoke wheels wheels.