Every year at the GTI festival in Wörthersee, Austria, Volkswagen gives its enthusiasts a little treat to enjoy. Last year they just threw a really powerful tuned engine in a Golf GTI and threw on a cool body kit. As cool as that was, Volkswagen did something a bit more special this year though. As other companies have done, Das Auto has created a special concept car for the sixth installment of the Gran Turismo series.
“When Sony asked us if we would develop a Vision GTI vehicle exclusively for the game to mark the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo we didn’t hesitate for a moment,” stated Volkswagen Head of Design Klaus Bischoff.
The company launched a little competition to see who could design the best car, which would be judged by Bischoff and Kazunori Yamauchi, the *breathes* founder of the Gran Turismo series, Director of Polyphony Digital, Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment, and Golf GTI owner. They picked a pretty great look.
The vehicle above is the winner of that design contest. Say hello to the Volkswagen GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo.
From the front, the GTI Roadster, Vision Gran Turismo looks like a supercar (get a load of that FAA-ready wing). From the back, it looks like an extreme time-attack Golf GTI. From every angle, it looks incredible, and nothing on this car is subtle. While the car is over 13 feet long, it will provide 93 million square miles of headroom because it’s a roadster. Volkswagen set out to make a car for the track though, so will it fair well as such?
Normally performance is sacrificed in a roadster due to the lack of rigidity and balance, as well as added weight. This one doesn’t have to worry so much. The car has flamboyantly aggressive C-pillars that function as a roll bar and a huge spoiler in the back, which results in plenty of downforce and traction.
Under the hood is VeeDub’s 3.0 liter V6 twin-turbocharged TSI engine, which comes from the Touareg, producing 503 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque in this application. As for that added weight, the street rocket still only weighs 3,130 pounds. As for acceleration, its seven speed DCT gearbox and 4MOTION all-wheel drive drivetrain help the GT Series GTI hit 62 mph in 3.6 seconds and continue on rather quickly until it reaches a whopping top speed of 192 mph. Considering concept cars don’t normally account for individuals taller than five feet, a helmet to bring along might not be a bad idea at those speeds.
Bringing a friend couldn’t hurt either as the car has two bucket racing seats. Though, as much as we would love to see it (and drive it), something this over-the-top will never go into production. That said, we can’t wait to see what Volskwagen decides to show off at Wörthersee in 2015.
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