--- title: "VW Dusted Off Awesome Concepts Like the W12 GTI So You Remember How Cool It Used to Be" date: "2026-02-21" modified: "2026-02-21" authors: - name: "Stephen Edelstein" job_title: "Weekend Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/vw-dusted-off-awesome-concepts-like-the-w12-gti-so-you-remember-how-cool-it-used-to-be" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Volkswagen News" tags: - "compact" - "concept car" - "GTI" - "Hatchback" - "sports car" - "Volkswagen" --- # VW Dusted Off Awesome Concepts Like the W12 GTI So You Remember How Cool It Used to Be ![VW GTI Roadster concept flanked by GTI W12-650 (left) and Design Vision GTI (right).]() *\Volkswagen\* 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. - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept front quarter view.]() - ![]() - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept front quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept front quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept rear quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept rear quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept dashboard.]() - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept interior.]() - ![Volkswagen Design Vision GTI concept cargo area.]() [][][] 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. - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept front quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept profile view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept rear quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept front quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept front quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept rear quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept hood.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept wheel.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept interior.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept seats.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept steering wheel.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI Roadster concept seats.]() [][][] 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. - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept tracking driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept track driving.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept front quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept rear quarter view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept rear view.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept badge.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept tailpipes.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept interior.]() - ![Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept engine.]() [][][] 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* ## Author Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read. ### Author social links [Twitter]()