The world’s seminal hot hatch turns 35 this year and surprisingly VW has not – yet – released some nauseatingly contrived, special edition GTI to celebrate.
Fear not though, as Roxxity Limited (an American automotive marketing specialist) has built its own 35th anniversary limited edition Golf6 GTI.
Keen to attract those GTI owners who desire to add an individual touch (with some pseudo heritage) to their cars, Roxxity’s bolted on an array of aftermarket bits, packaged as the GTI35.
Trinkets do not a hot hatch make
Roxxity’s dressed-up the Golf6 GTI with a subtle bodykit (adding new rocker panels and front fascia mesh), 19-inch Quaranta alloy wheels from F1 supplier OZ and lowered the median ride height courtesy of new springs.
Bavarian engine tuner Wunschel Sport was commissioned to toy with the engine control module and managed to extract an additional 37 units of power and 80Nm more torque than the series production Golf6 GTI.
Tallying peak outputs of 191kW and 360Nm, the 35GTI attempts to shadow its Golf R factory sibling's performance - returning a figure of 6.4 seconds for the benchmark 0-100km/h sprint and topping out at 255km/h.
If those performance figures leave you feeling slightly underwhelmed (especially tabled next to Golf R’s) then consider the sheer range of peripheral goodies you get as part Roxxity’s 35GTI package.
Not only will you receive a branded keychain, dog-tags and t-shirt, but (wait for it), Roxxity will hand over a 35GTI series parking sign too; just so that everyone in the office parking lot knows exactly what it is that you are driving – which is in fact simply a warmed over Golf6 GTI.
The price for this American conceived German built hot hatch oddness? R315 000 on Roxxity’s lot, before any taxes are added to the equation.
VW's product planners will probably advise you that their Golf R is in fact quite a worthy 35th anniversary celebration of all that is good concerning Golf GTI and its performance heritage – sans the trinkets...
The Golf R will be available in South Africa from April, 2011.
Story Courtesy of: www.news24.co.za