Volkswagen celebrates Golf GTI's 50th early with special Edition 50
Edition 50 has officially become the fastest and most powerful Golf GTI ever made. Image: Volkswagen
Ahead of its 50th anniversary celebration next year, Volkswagen officially debuted the commemorative Edition 50 of the Golf GTI this past weekend on the eve of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring.
The most powerful GTI ever made, and the fastest to have lapped the 'Ring with a time of seven minutes 46.13 seconds, the GTI Edition 50 retains usage of the same 2.0 TSI engine as the standard GTI and Golf R, but with the same drive unit as the Golf 8.5 GTI Clubsport.
Mechanically otherwise unchanged, the result is a power output of 239 kW, 44 kW more than the normal Golf 8.5 GTI and six kilowatts down on the R, and torque rating of 420 Nm.
The latter representing an increase of 50 Nm over the standard GTI and matching that of the R, the GTI Edition 50 will get from 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds and hit a limited top speed of 270 km/h.
More powerful than the Clubsport, whose 221kW/400Nm had been the most of any GTI until now, the Edition 50 continues to send its amount to the front axle only via a seven-speed DSG.
Unsurprisingly, a series of extensive revisions have taken place underneath. These include a 15 mm ride height drop, retuned steering, reprogramming of the Dynamic Chassis Control system and a revised XDS electronic front differential.
As an option though, the GTI Performance package goes a step further by adding an additional five millimetre ride height drop for a total of 20 mm compared to the standard GTI, 19-inch Warmenau forged alloy wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza semi-slick tyres that weight eight kilograms less each than the normal wheels, and an Akrapovič titanium exhaust system that reduces weight by a further 11 kg.
Externally, the easy-to-spot changes consist of gloss black finishes on the door sills, gloss black mirror caps, GTI 50 logo on the outer blades of the roof spoiler, black exhaust outlet tips, Tornado Red detailing on the wheels and a black stripe at the base of the doors that fades to red.
Inside, the unique touches comprise red seatbelts, a GTI 50 logo on the base of the steering wheel, check pattern red, white and green imitation Velour-trimmed seats, GTI stitch work on the front seatbacks, a gloss black centre console, GTI 50 treadplates and red alloy pedals.
In total, the GTI Edition 50 will be offered in five colours; Pure White, Grenadilla Black, Moonstone Grey and two exclusive hues not offered on the standard GTI, Tornado Red and Moss Green.
Now available for ordering with deliveries starting from the first quarter of 2026, the Golf 8.5 GTI Edition 50 is unlikely to be offered in South Africa anytime soon as a result of the country's poor quality currently prohibiting the launch of the normal GTI and R until at least 2027.
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