WOLFSBURG: Volkswagen will unveil the Golf GTI Edition 50 at the Nürburgring 24-hour race on 20 June 2025, marking the most powerful production GTI ever and celebrating the model’s 50th anniversary. Although sales begin alongside the main anniversary in 2026, a near-production prototype has already claimed a new Volkswagen lap record on the Nordschleife.
German racing driver Benny Leuchter completed a full 20.8 km lap in 7 minutes 46.13 seconds, the fastest-ever time by a road-legal Volkswagen at the circuit.
Leuchter said the record car matched the specification of the forthcoming production model. An on-board camera comparison suggests a directly comparable time of 7 minutes 41.27 seconds.
Central to the record was the optional Performance package, which fits a sports-tuned chassis and ultra-light 19-inch Bridgestone Potenza Race semi-slick tyres mounted on forged wheels.
These components reduce unsprung and rotating mass, enhancing high-speed stability and cornering precision. Volkswagen engineers customised the suspension for the Nordschleife’s bumps and demanding turns, allowing the car to maintain its ideal racing line with remarkable poise.
The Golf GTI Edition 50’s powertrain remains a turbocharged four-cylinder unit, tuned to deliver the highest output in GTI history.
Volkswagen describes the model as encapsulating “the pure GTI idea,” combining outstanding drive power with front-wheel drive precision.
Exact power figures have yet to be confirmed, but the emphasis is on optimised balance between performance and everyday usability.
Leuchter’s new record eclipses his own previous benchmarks: a 2015 Golf GTI Clubsport S³ lap of 7 minutes 49.21 seconds and a 2022 Golf R 20 Years time of 7 minutes 47.31 seconds.
Those earlier runs began and ended at grandstand T13, omitting a 200 metre section that the Edition 50’s official time includes. Achieving the latest record in poor weather conditions further underlines the car’s refined setup.
Until orders open, the Golf GTI Edition 50 appears in the Nürburgring’s “Pre-Series Models” category.
