VW Golf GTI Wolfsburg Edition unveiled

Volkswagen has once again let a group of apprentices loose on a Golf GTI for the Worthersee tuning event, and this is what the 12-strong team has come up with.

Called the Wolfsburg Edition, it follows last year’s one-off VW Golf GTI Cabrio Austria, and is named for the German city where the first standard Golf rolled off the production line forty years ago.

As with the Skoda Citijet concept – which also debuted at the annual event – the changes are primarily visual, although the special edition Golf does feature a modified 2.0-litre TSI engine generating 375bhp. There’s also a carbon air box and hand-welded stainless steel exhaust system with vacuum valve control that regulates the engine note.

Finished in ‘Absolute’ red with black details, the hand-painted exterior benefits from front and rear spoilers, door sills, and a rear diffuser.

Volkswagen’s apprentices have also styled the black side stripes with a contrasting outline of the Wolfsburg skyline that also appears on the interior door leather as well, reinforcing the 40th anniversary celebration. Similar emblems recognising this connection are included on the steering wheel and alloys. 

Elsewhere inside, the red and black theme continues onto the two Recaro bucket seats and rear bench – boosted here by additional GTI tartan trim – and this colour scheme is liberally applied to the dash, gearstick, floor mats and multi-function steering wheel, too.

The team, made up of four women and eight men aged between 18 and 23, weren’t limited to stylistic updates alone: a 3D printer was used to integrate additional instruments into the dash above the infotainment display, while there’s also a 2,170W sound system featuring 11 on-board speakers.

Helping guarantee a high-quality audio output are a monobloc amplifier with integrated LED lighting and a subwoofer, both located in the boot alongside a Playstation and 24-inch LED TV. 

According to a statement from VW, projects like this are to designed to offer “its best apprentices the opportunity to expand their specialist knowledge and to demonstrate their creativity and teamwork capabilities.”