There is no doubt that many Volkswagen->ke94 and hot-hatch enthusiasts had their calendars marked for January 8th, 2015, which is when the pre-order process opened up for the 2016 VW Golf R. That is because when the online order process started at 12:01 a.m., it took less than 12 hours for all 500 special-edition units to be spoken for as announced by Volkswagen on Twitter.

Laying down your hard-earned $500 (fully refundable) deposit put you in line to be one of the first in the U.S. to be seen in the new Golf R, but you still have to come up with the remaining balance, which is $39,090 and does not include the $820 destination and delivery charge. Even then, VW points out, though, that “dealers set the actual price, which may exceed the MSRP” or worse, VW “cannot guarantee that a dealer will sell the vehicle to you at all.”

All of the special Launch Edition Golf R models will be the same painted in the Lapiz Blue Metallic paint and equipped with 19-inch Cadiz light-alloy wheels, a DSG dual clutch gearbox, DCC adaptive damping and a navigation system. As an added bonus, these buyers will also get an exclusive R-branded watch, two keychains (one stainless steel and the other carbon fiber) and a serialized certificate to go with that particular car’s VIN.

If you weren’t one of these lucky 500, don’t fret. Since the deposit was refundable, there is a good possibility that some of the potential buyers may back out, and in that case, VW also has a waiting list in case spots open up.

Click past the jump to read more about the Volkswagen Golf R.

Why it matters

These 500 people will be the first in the U.S. to own the incredibly awesome 2016 VW Golf R with its turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that develops 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. A 0-to-60 time of just 4.9 seconds ensures that the cars will go as fast in real life as they did during this pre-order process.

Volkswagen Golf R

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