GTI's 50th Birthday and the Wild VW Cars That Never Saw the Road

Volkswagen brings back its most extreme GTI concepts for its 50th anniversary.
Mid-engine W12-650 delivers 641 hp and features rear-wheel drive exclusively.
The GTI Roadster VR6 produced 503 horsepower with AWD traction.

Several nameplates have spent half a century teasing the edge of madness without ever completely succumbing.Volkswagen’sGTI is among them, and the company has recently unveiled an extensive photo collection showcasing its most significant concepts for the series.

No major announcements, no newconcepts, no new production cars. Just a gentle reminder that, at different times over the past two decades, it had the potential to create some of the most extreme production cars ever and ultimately fell short.

More: Volkswagen Created a Golf R SUV and Excluded the U.S. Once More

The timing is not arbitrary. The production Golf GTI celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and although it would be logical to highlight how it became a key figure in the hot hatch category, VW is bringing back vehicles that appropriately disregarded the GTI's more subdued approach.

Exploring the Most Extreme Aspects of GTI

Front and center is the chaoticGolf GTI W12-650, now painted red. First displayed 19 years ago in white, it removed the rear seats in favor of a mid-mounted twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 that produces 641 hp (477 kW). The engine was sourced from the Phaeton and is similar to the one found in the Bentley Continental GT, although here it was equipped with twin turbos and given a much less formal role. Power was sent solely to the rear wheels.

Volkswagen stated that it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 201.8 mph (325 km/h). It utilized brakes from aLamborghiniGallardo and generally acted like a Golf that had absolutely nothing more to demonstrate.

To get everything functioning properly, VW expanded and reduced the body's height, incorporated significant cooling ducts, underbody aerodynamics, and carbon fiber panels, and placed it on 19-inch wheels that previously appeared massive. It was a wild vehicle, but unfortunately, it never came close to being produced.

When a Golf Became a Supercar

Then there’s the GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo, developed for the sixth iteration of the video game, prior to VW creating a fully operational prototype. Its twin-turbo 3.0-liter VR6 engine produced 503 hp (375 kW) and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm), combined with DSG and 4Motion AWD. It reached 62 mph in 3.6 seconds and had a top speed of 192 mph (309 km/h).

Inspired by the Mk7, it removed its roof and back seats, added completely new body panels, and included doors that swing upward and C-pillars redesigned as a structural roll bar. Once more: bold, striking, and ultimately a unique creation.

Even though it had an open-top design, it wasn't a light vehicle. Equipped with AWD components, bigger brakes, and 20-inch center-lock wheels fitted with 235/35 ZR20 front and 275/30 ZR20 rear tires, the Roadster had a weight of 3,133 pounds (1,421 kg).

The Halo GTI That Might Have Been

The most convincing among them, the Volkswagen Design Vision GTI, featured 500 hp (372 kW) and 4Motion within a broader, production-ready frame. If any of these vehicles had the potential to become a special-edition flagship GTI, this was the one. Volkswagen never took that step either. And that's the trend.

For five decades, the GTI has remained true to its original mission: a front-engine, front-wheel-drive vehicle designed for daily use and enjoyable driving. The current Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 continues to embody this heritage, featuring 325 hp (242 kW), a 5.3-second 0-60 mph acceleration, and strong performance on the Nurburgring. Let's face it, a car like the W12 or Roadster would only be feasible in limited production runs.

Throughout the 20 years of challenging and annoying treatment VW has put us through, the only thing we received was a trick differential in the Golf R that gives it a rear-wheel drive feel. Volkswagen clearly understands how to create a GTI that defies expectations. It simply continues to decide against doing so.