Volkswagen takes wraps off 290hp Golf GTI TCR

• Published On: 14 May 2018
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The car was designed to celebrate the company’s participation in the TCR championship.

The TCR Concept was shown at the annual Wörthersee fan meet in Austria. The new performance version of the GTI hatchback celebrates VW's participation at the championship. The front-wheel-drive Golf GTI TCR will make production later this year but in limited numbers. The eighth-generation Golf is already at an advanced stage and looks set for a 2019 release.

The GTI TCR will be powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, which is used by the earlier Golf GTI Clubsport. The car comes with a front differential lock and a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. The car also is fitted with a particulate filter and the titanium Akrapovič exhaust system as standard.

The engine makes 290hp and 369Nm and offers four driving modes - Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual. The car is fitted with a reprofiled front bumper, a more prominent front splitter element, wider sills underneath the doors and a large full-width diffuser element at the rear housed between two chromed Akrapovič tailpipes. VW says there will be five exterior colours – a new pure grey hue, along with the traditional GTI colours (pure white, tornado red and deep black pearl effect).