VW's 35th anniversary GTI. Image: Volkswagen AG
We Americans get cheated out of a lot of cool cars on this side of the pond. We don’t get the Ford Focus RS, we’re still waiting on the Fiat Abarth 500 and Audi has said, “nein,” to importing the RS3. If you want some good news for a change, Car and Driver is reporting that we will get the special edition GTI that VW showed off at this week’s Wörthersee Festival.
Dubbed the GTI Edition 35, the car was built to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the GTI’s launch in Europe. That number’s not relevant for the United States, since we didn’t see the GTI on these shores until 1983, and VW isn’t going to build a separate “28th anniversary” model just for us. What is relevant is the car’s specs, which include a 235 PS (for Pferdestärke, or German horsepower) variant of the 2.0-liter turbo four. That translates into nearly 232 horsepower, which is 32 more than the current GTI, and the motor also puts out 221 ft lb of torque. Buyers can opt for a six speed manual gearbox or VW’s superb DSG dual-clutch manual automatic.
The rest of the GTI Edition 35 package is mostly trim items, like new wheels, tinted glass, LED running lights and “35” badging on the seats and door sills. Since VW still hasn’t officially confirmed we’re getting the car, there’s no way to estimate how many Edition 35 cars will be imported. In Europe, pricing for the limited edition GTI starts at around $5,000 more than a base GTI; if we use the same formula for the U.S., that would put the price of the Edition 35 at around $29,000, or on par with their loaded “Autobahn” GTI.
Source: Car and Driver, via Autoblog
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
