- VW is celebrating half a century of GTI with the Golf GTI Edition 50.
- All cars get 321 hp, a 15 mm lower chassis, and bespoke upholstery.
- The optional Performance Pack adds tighter dampers, lightweight wheels.
Turning 50 presents most of us with a choice. We either let ourselves go to seed and reach for another slice of cake or commit to getting into the best shape of our lives to prove we’ve still got it. Fortunately for us, the Golf GTI chose the second route, and the result is the Edition 50, the fastest, most powerful GTI ever, and one that might make you think twice before signing up for a Honda Civic Type R or even the Golf R, for that matter.
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The focal point of the latest in a run of GTI anniversary specials that stretches back to the 1980s is a modified version of VW’s familiar 2.0-liter turbo four. This turbocharged engine makes 262 hp (265 PS) in the regular European GTI (US GTIs only get 242 hp / 245 PS) and 297 hp (300 PS) in the GTI Clubsport. But with 321 hp (325 PS), the Edition 50 comes closer to the Golf R (329 hp / 333 PS) than it does to those cars.
Related: VW’s Fastest Ever Golf GTI Is Still Slower Than A Civic Type R On The ‘Ring
Torque is also up, to a Golf R-matching 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) versus 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) for the Clubbie and just 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) for the stock GTI. The upshot is that the anniversary car, which drives the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission like every other new GTI, can reach 62 mph (100 kmh) from rest in 5.5 seconds. That compares with 5.6 for the Clubsport and 5.9 for the GTI, and puts it only a tenth behind the Honda Civic Type R, whose power and torque numbers match the 50’s perfectly in Euro form.
Faster than a Golf R?
True, the Golf R’s all-wheel drive traction gets it out of the hole faster for a 4.6-second time. But we’d put money on the Edition 50 hauling past the circa 100 kg (220 lbs) heavier R given enough room. VW’s data shows it gets to 124 mph (200 km/h) 1.6 seconds faster than the Clubsport R, revealing that its true performance advantage is only really evident above 60 mph. Top speed? “Probably” limited to 168 mph (270 km/h) is VW’s uncharacteristically ambiguous answer.
Multiple Edition 50 badges, a black roof, mirror caps and tailpipe, unique side stripe, and a red-glazed finish for the 19-inch Queenstown alloy wheels mark out a zero-options anniversary model from other GTIs. Buyers get to choose from white, gray, black, and two colors not available on other GTIs, moss green and VW’s classic Tornado Red. Inside, you get special plaid trim for the sports seats and more Edition 50 logos on the mats, sill finishers, seats, and wheel.
The Edition 50 is the only GTI to get DCC adaptive dampers as standard and rides 5 mm (0.2 inches) lower than a regular model. It also has a bespoke software tune for the power steering and electronically-controlled LSD, but VW is clear that a base Edition 50 is still very much a competent all-rounder rather than a focused track hero. To turn it into one of those, you need to order the optional Performance Pack.
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VW
Performance Pack is the driver’s choice
Ticking the PP box doesn’t get you any more power, but will help you do more with it. An additional two degrees of negative camber, 20 percent stiffer springs that also reduce the ride height by a further 5 mm, harder bushes, and optional 235-section Bridgestone Potenza Race semi-slick tires help cut understeer. And those tires are also 1.1 kg (2.43 lbs) lighter than conventional hoops per corner. The 19-inch Warmenau forged wheels borrowed from the Golf R save 3 kg (6.6 lbs) overall, and the Akrapovic titanium exhaust another 11 kg, contributing to the Performance Pack’s 30 kg (66 lbs) total reduction.
Driving a white Edition 50 equipped with the Performance Pack goodies earlier this month, Benny Leuchter recorded a 7:46.13 laptime at the Nurburgring, confirming the new anniversary special as the fastest GTI and fastest VW-badged production car of all time. You can check out the full Nurburgring lap in the video below.
Honda is still on top
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Unfortunately for VW, it can’t claim the fastest FWD car title – once held by the 2016 GTI Clubsport S – because Honda’s Civic Type R logged a 7:44.881 lap in 2023. VW has yet to release prices for the Edition 50, which goes into production later this year, ready for customer deliveries early in 2026. But you can bet it’ll be more affordable than the Honda, which currently stickers at £51,905 / $45,895.
It would make sense for the Edition 50 to split the difference between the GTI Clubsport (£43,215 in the UK) and Golf R (£45,800), with the Performance Pack costing another couple of grand on top, but we’ll have to wait to know for sure. Would you take an Edition 50 over a Golf R or Honda Civic Type R? Drop a comment below with your pick.