- The GTI W12-650 used a mid-mounted 6.0-litre W12 producing 478kW and 720Nm.
- The 2013 Design Vision GTI featured a twin-turbo 3.0-litre VR6 with 375kW and 560Nm.
- Volkswagen resurfaced these concepts as part of the Golf GTI’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Volkswagen has dipped into its back catalogue to mark 50 years of the Golf GTI, resurfacing a trio of concepts that once showed just how far the hot hatch badge could be stretched.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, VW has published fresh images and video of the GTI W12-650, Design Vision GTI and GTI Roadster. These three show cars that pushed the formula well beyond front-drive practicality.
When a GTI got 12 cylinders
The most outrageous of the lot remains the GTI W12-650.
Revealed in 2007, it took a Mk V GTI shell and installed a mid-mounted 6.0-litre W12 sourced from a Bentley Continental GT.
Output was rated at 478kW and 720Nm, enough to send the widened hatch from 0 to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds and on to a claimed 325km/h top speed. Power went to the rear wheels, and the entire rear structure was re-engineered to accommodate the engine.
It was never intended for production. It was a statement, one that said a GTI could be absurd if it wanted to be.
Twin-turbo VR6 mayhem
Fast-forward to 2013 and Volkswagen unveiled the Design Vision GTI, based on the Mk VII generation.
This concept swapped the standard turbo four-cylinder for a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre VR6 producing 375kW and 560Nm.
Drive was sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Volkswagen claimed 0 to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 299km/h.
That powertrain later appeared in the GTI Roadster concept, revealed in 2014.
The roofless two-seater was created as part of the Vision Gran Turismo programme for the Gran Turismo video game series. Torque was lifted further to 666Nm, reinforcing the idea that these were less engineering exercises and more creative playgrounds.
Looking back to look forward
Today’s Golf GTI remains one of the few performance hatchbacks to blend everyday usability with genuine driver appeal.
Volkswagen is preparing an Edition 50 model and is already considering how the GTI badge will translate into the electric era.
By revisiting these concepts, VW appears keen to remind enthusiasts of a time when it was willing to build a 12-cylinder hot hatch simply because it could.
Whether that spirit returns in future GTI models remains to be seen, but the anniversary showcase highlights how elastic the three-letter badge has been over the past half century.
