The Fastest Golf GTIs Volkswagen Has Ever Built

From concept lunacy to Nürburgring records, the GTI name will forever stand as an icon for enthusiasts.

7. Golf GTI Mk8

While it may not be the most exotic GTI ever built, the Mk8 GTI still earns a place for keeping the formula alive. With 242 hp and 273 lb-ft, it manages a 0–60 time of around 6.2 seconds with DSG, or a few tenths slower with the six-speed manual.

It also wears the distinction of being the last GTI in North America available with three pedals—which ended after the 2024 model ye

6. Golf GTI TCR Concept

Not to be confused with the actual TCR race car, this Wörthersee concept was a 286-hp, 164-mph front-wheel-drive GTI that previewed the 2019 production GTI TCR edition.

With a mechanical diff, titanium Akrapovič exhaust, and semi-slick tires, it was a quick and capable Autobahn GTI—but more of a road car than its motorsport namesake suggested.

5. Golf GTI Clubsport 45

An homage to 45 years of the GTI, this special Mk8 edition produced 296 hp and shared its powertrain with the standard Clubsport but added a bit more drama.

The 0–62 mph time of 5.6 seconds made it the quickest GTI of the Mk8 generation until the Edition 50 arrived.

4. Golf GTI Clubsport S

With just 400 units built, no rear seats, and a Nürburgring lap record to its name at the time, the Clubsport S was the most focused GTI Volkswagen ever sold.

Its 306-hp engine and obsessive weight shaving helped it achieve a 7:49.21 Nürburgring lap, faster than many supercars. Front-wheel drive and a manual transmission made it a purist’s hot hatch—and the last GTI to put performance above all else.

3. Golf GTI Edition 50

Built to celebrate five decades of the GTI nameplate, the Edition 50 is the most powerful production GTI ever, making 320 hp and 310 lb-ft from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder.

It sprints to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds and topped the Nürburgring lap board for GTIs with a 7:41.27—just a few seconds off the AWD Golf R. Optional forged wheels, Bridgestone semi-slicks, and a titanium Akrapovič exhaust give it proper track credentials.

2. Volkswagen Design Vision GTI

Built for the Wörthersee show, the Design Vision GTI used a 503-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo VR6, sending power to all four wheels through a DSG transmission.

The 0–62 mph time was quoted at 3.9 seconds, with a top speed north of 185 mph. Built on the Mk7 platform but heavily reworked, it was lower, wider, and lighter than stock. It never saw production, but it still stands as one of the most unhinged GTIs ever built.

1. Golf GTI W12-650 Concept

Volkswagen’s ultimate GTI came in the form of a one-off concept never intended for production.

Powered by a mid-mounted 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 from the Bentley Continental GT, the W12-650 made 641 hp and could allegedly hit 202 mph. Rear-wheel drive, no stability control, and a Frankenstein chassis made it barely drivable—but this wild child of Wolfsburg is still the fastest GTI ever built, even if it lived only in theory.