Teaser for 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR debuting at 2018 Wörthersee Tour
Enlarge Photo
Volkswagen’s Golf GTI race car developed for the TCR International Series is about to spawn a road-going version.
To be called the Golf GTI TCR, the debut of the new range-topping GTI will take place next week at the 2018 Wörthersee Tour, a tuning fest with a focus on GTIs that is held annually in Austria.
The new car will be the fastest and most powerful GTI to date, at least as far as production cars are concerned, with VW confirming an unrestricted top speed of 164 mph to be made possible by an increase in output to 290 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of torque.
While that’s down on the 330 hp and 302 lb-ft that the GTI TCR race car makes, it’s still a healthy bump over the standard GTI’s 220 hp and 258 lb-ft. The car’s powertrain is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 and drive is to the front wheels only, via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and front axle differential lock.
VW will commence sales of the GTI TCR late this year. There’s no word yet on whether the vehicle is headed to the United States.
This year’s Wörthersee Tour runs from May 9-12 in Reifnitz, on the shores of the Wörthersee lake. For more coverage, head to our dedicated hub.
