In just a couple of days, Volkswagen will show up to the Worthersee Enthusiast Festival with a prototype of the road-going Golf GTI TCR. Once it goes into production, it will be sold as a special edition model and will be powered by a 2.0-liter that’s good for 286 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Those figures, in combination with the more aggressive looks, place the car in a position to bridge the gap between the Golf GTI and Golf R – If Volkswagen prices it correctly, anyway.

Volkswagen says that maximum horsepower is available between 5,000 and 6,800 rpm while torque comes into play between 1,600 rpm and 4,300 rpm. The only transmission available will be a seven-speed dual-clutch, so don’t expect to row your own with this one. It does, however, come standard with a limited-slip differential which should help improve traction and handling when things get a little dicey. Top speed will, naturally, be limited to 155 mph (because Germans) but can be increased to 164 mph if you’re willing to pay for it.

As far as pricing goes, we’ll have to wait until this prototype shifts into production, but that’s where Volkswagen will make it or break it. Even as a special edition, it’s not quite as powerful as the Golf R, so it would be hard to justify paying more than what you would to sit down inside a Gold R. Granted, it only falls short by six horsepower and 7 pound-feet but, if you’re a numbers guy, those small numbers can make all the difference. On that note, it will be significantly more powerful than the base GTI. In comparison, the GTI TCR will deliver an extra 66 horsepower and 15 pound-feet over the standard GTI, so don’t expect it to go for near-GTI money, either.

We haven’t gotten an official look at the prototype yet, but the few renderings released by Volkswagen should be enough to tame your curiosity until the prototype debuts on May 9 in Worthersee.

Volkswagen Golf Performance Specs

References

Read our full review on the 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR.

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen Golf

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen Golf R.

Read more Volkswagen news.