Most of the time, Volkswagen’s press sites and social media channels are populated with humdrum crossovers and EVs the United States doesn’t get, but that changed this past week when VW began posting photos and videos of some of its best concept cars. It’s part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Golf GTI, but also a reminder of how far VW has fallen.
Apparently having no actual news to announce, VW on Wednesday posted an album titled simply “GTI Concept Vehicles” on its global media site. It features photos of three such concepts: the GTI Roadster, Design Vision GTI, and the GTI W12-650. These cars have also been popping up on the automaker’s social media channels for the past few days.
Unveiled in 2013, the Design Vision GTI is based on the then-new Mk VII GTI. VW pumped things up with an elaborate wide body and a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter VR6 that produced 503 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque, sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. At the time, VW said the Design Vision GTI could do 0-to-62 mph in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 186 mph.
The mechanical package for the Design Vision GTI essentially carried over to the GTI Roadster, unveiled about a year later, but with a 78-lb-ft boost in torque. The roofless GTI wasn’t intended as a successor to the Golf Cabrio or Eos, but rather as part of the Vision Gran Turismo series of concepts created for the Gran Turismo game franchise.
Even more radical than the GTI Roadster is the W12-650, which has been dropping jaws since 2007 (when it was painted white). As the name suggests, it’s a Mk V GTI with a mid-mounted 6.0-liter W12 from a Bentley Continental GT. The colossal engine produces 641 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque, getting the GTI W12 from 0-to-62 mph in 3.7 seconds on the way to a 202-mph top speed.
Today’s GTI is still a very impressive car, and enthusiasts should be thankful that it’s still around at a time when vehicles that are both fun and practical are getting fewer and farther between. VW is rolling out an even better Edition 50 that’s faster around the Nürburgring than a Golf R, and is thinking about how to carry the GTI badge into the EV era. But today’s VW lacks the fun and frivolity of the company that built a 12-cylinder hot hatch just because it could.
By showing off old concepts, VW surely wants customers to remember how cool it used to be. The automaker could use a reminder of that itself.
All photos credit: Volkswagen