The year 2024 marks 50 years of the iconic Volkswagen Golf, so to celebrate VW’s preparing the release of a new high performance GTI variant. While few official details have been confirmed, the new GTI derivative will be revealed at the Nurburgring in a few weeks time and will hopefully live up to some of the sensational limited-edition Golf GTIs of the past. 

One that instantly springs to mind is the iconic VW Golf GTI Clubsport S that was based on the Mk7 Golf. This car was originally revealed as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, and was successful in its task of breaking the front-wheel drive production car lap record around the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. Unfortunately, while a new generation Clubsport S would be wonderful, we’re instead likely looking at a standard Clubsport. 

Regardless of whether the new Golf GTI is the S or not, expect a serious set of technical upgrades on the existing Mk8.5 generation Golf GTI including an uplift in power from its turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engine. This will likely continue to creep up on the Clubsport S’s 316bhp figure, which is still the highest ever offered on a front-wheel drive Golf. 

The power will run through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to the front wheels. With so much power potentially arriving at the front axle, we also expect an update on the existing Clubsport’s limited slip differential.

However, the Clubsport S’s magic wasn’t just due to more power, but also to a comprehensive weight shedding program that included the removal of the second row seats and lots of sound deadening. Such dedication to lightweighting is unlikely to be on the cards this time around, not least due to the five-door only Golf Mk8.5 body. 

The interior and exterior styling will also see some changes compared to the recently revealed Mk8.5 GTI – the blurry teaser shots on LinkedIn reveal a new front bumper and a white paint finish. We’ll find out more when the new limited-run model is revealed in full on May 30, when the road car, plus potentially the new Mk8.5 TCR racer, will both make their debuts.

Are you excited for the new Volkswagen Golf GTI? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section…