Want To Launch At 24 Nurburgring Hours, GTI Edition 50 VW Golf Sets A Record

JAKARTA - Volkswagen has confirmed that it will launch Golf GTI Edition 50, as a celebration of the existence of the "Golf GTI" model that has been present since 1976.

The special hatchback will be introduced in the middle of the 24 Hours Nurburgring event which takes place on June 20 tomorrow. Prior to its launch, this car had set a record at the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, Germany.

Golf GTI Edition 50 managed to book its fastest time, namely 07:46.13 in the circuit. This makes it the fastest VW production car to complete a round on this race track.

Driven by a professional racer from Germany, Benny Leucther, the car is designed with a different performance than the current standard GTI Golf.

"It's impressive how easily this Volkswagen can move so fast on the Nordschleife track. Technically, the car is the same as the version to be sold in the future," Leuchter was quoted as saying on the official VW website, Monday, June 16.

Leuchter also explained that this car can compensate for shocks from various areas on the circuit, so that it can show its best performance and can record the fastest time.

"If you really want to go fast on a track known as 'Green Hell', the car must also offset the shocks that usually occur on the ground and reach a very high convex speed. This is what GTI Edition 50 Golf achieved perfectly," Leuchter added.

This high-performance hatchback will be present on Performance Package as optional, allowing drivers to maximize their performance on track racing.

The package includes a special chassis for performance with a 19-inch Potenza Race semi-slick tire from Bridgestone. According to manufacturers, the rubber ring has been specially designed to accommodate the agility of Golf GTI Edition 50.

Tires mounted with light-weighted tempa rims, are claimed to reduce the mass that is not irradiated and spinning.

The VW Golf GTI Edition 50 beat the previous record scored by the 20 Years Golf R model in 2022 with the same riders, with a record time of 07:47.31 in Nordschleife. Thus, Golf GTI Edition 50 which has a front wheel drive (FWD) is able to beat Golf R 20 Years with a driving system of all wheels (AWD).

Although the manufacturer has not provided details regarding this car further, Golf GTI Edition 50 is certain to be paving at the end of 2025 or early 2026, approaching the celebration of the presence of GTI Golf for 50 years.