Volkswagen’s Mk8 Golf GTI BBS Concept Looks To The 1980s Mk2 GTI For Inspiration

Volkswagen’s GTI name comes with a lot of history, and one of the most important cars to wear the badge was Mk2 Golf GTI, which refined the formula created by the original. Now, 29 years after its discontinuation, Volkswagen and Philadelphia-based VW enthusiast Jamie Orr have collaborated to make a Mk2-inspired Mk8 Golf GTI

Dubbed the “GTI BBS Concept”, on top of its retro BBS red and black livery, the car of course wears BBS wheels. To be more specific, it rides on a set of 19×9 BBS Super RS’s which feature the iconic multispoke design in silver and gold.

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In addition to those upgrades, the car is lowered on H&R coilovers, the fronts of which were redesigned to add camber adjustment. Rounding off the modifications is a Borla exhaust, the first one designed for the new GTI, which Orr describes as “just a step beyond” the stock system.

“We wanted to maintain the soul of the Mk8, so we went with more traditional modifications. But we left the interior, body, and powertrain exactly as it came from the factory,” said Orr. “Take those wingback seats, with this striking red design – they are just phenomenal. Changing any of that would have been a shame.”

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“We try to do most of the modifications to the exterior and leave the interiors stock on the enthusiast fleet vehicles,” added Sean Maynard, Enthusiast and Motorsport Marketing Specialist for Volkswagen. “That way someone that might not have any experience with the Brand can still get a true feel for the vehicles.”