Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR road car announced

Volkswagen is preparing to mark the next VW Wörthersee meet with the reveal of a 213kW Golf GTI.

Based on the VW competitor in the race series of the same name, the GTI will wear a ‘TCR’ badge signifying its connection to the Golf which has twice won the series overall.

While the car will be unveiled and shown off at the Wörthersee meet, it’s not due for launch until late 2018.

Volkswagen says the car is nearly ready for production, so the one shown at the event will likely be a prototype.

With its 213kW and 370Nm, Volkswagen says it’s set to be the fastest Golf GTI available upon its release. It’s claimed to be capable of a 250km/h top speed, though this can be increased to 264km/h with its Vmax limited removed.

Torque directed to its front wheels will be controlled by a locking front differential, and as such – much like the GTI Performance Edition – it’ll only be available with Volkswagen’s 7-speed DSG.

The car on which it’s based, however, is much more hardcore. With 275kW/420Nm and a sprint to 100km/h in just 5.2 seconds, it has allowed Stefano Comini and Jean-Karl Vernay to both take out driver’s titles in the TCR International Series.

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Over 100 of the race versions have been sold to privateer racers so far, with Vw adding more than 15 different racing series include a Golf GTI TCR in the mix.

MOTOR has contacted VW Australia and awaits confirmation regarding local information (expected availability, if at all) of the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR.