By: IOL Motoring Staff
Wörthersee, Austria - Every year, for the past seven, Volkswagen has let its best apprentices work their magic on a special project for the Wörthersee GTI power festival.
This year the young guns took inspiration from the 40th anniversary of the Golf and the city where it first rolled off the line back in 1974.
Of course, the Golf GTI Wolfsburg Edition is anything but an ordinary Golf. In this one-off creation, extreme style and sound come together with some serious engine tinkering that sees the power output rise to 279kW.
Among the extensive list of modifications, the GTI's 2-litre direct injection turbopetrol motor was fitted with a carbon air box. A hand-welded stainless steel exhaust complete with vacuum valve control allows the engine sound to be controlled.
The hand-painted GTI was given a black and red colour scheme outside and in, while bepoke front and rear spoilers, door sills and a rear diffuser ensure that it looks the predatory part.
Recaro bucket seats, complete with traditional 'GTI Tartan' bolsters, lend a sporty feel to the cabin as does the black multi-function steering wheel with red spokes. The apprentices also did some furniture reshuffling, making space for extra gauges (air pressure, stopwatch and oil temperature) and a hand-crafted centre console with an integrated and stowable iPhone docking station.
And let's not forget the sound - no Wörthersee pretender can make the cut without a potent sound system and the GTI Wolfsburg Edition blasts its authority through the airwaves with an 11-speaker premium audio system with an output of 2170 W.
The VW apprentice team consisted of four woman and eight men, who planned, tested and implemented almost everything themselves.
The GTI's future looks good in your hands!