Manual and DSG confirmed for 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI 40 Years edition

Limited edition Golf GTI 40 Years is the fastest, most powerful GTI yet.

Volkswagen Australia is set to add to its hot Golf club, bringing in a limited number of Golf GTI 40th Anniversary models in both manual and DSG auto guise.

The commemorative five-door – known as the Golf GTI Clubsport in overseas markets – will boast a serious set of numbers, too, with a base power figure of 195kW from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-potter just 11kW shy of the peak power number of the range-topping Golf R.

In fact, an overboost mode will allow the GTI 40th to muscle out 213kW and 380Nm for up to ten seconds, according to VW.

Claimed 0-100km/h is in 5.9 seconds, versus the all-wheel-drive R’s 5.0sec flat, the GTI Performance’s 6.4sec and the base GTI’s 6.5sec.

We have had a lot of enquiries about a manual version, and it’s great to be able to offer it to the enthusiasts.

Initially announced as a DSG-only proposition, VW Australia has confirmed that a six-speed manual version of the five-door will also be available. A total of 500 cars will make it Down Under, with 100 in self-shifting guise.

Like the rest of the Australian Golf line-up, no three-door versions are among the local allocation.

Price-wise, the GTI 40 Years will sit between the $46,490 GTI Performance and the $52,740 R. The manual version of the 40 will list at $46,990, with the DSG costing the customary $2000 more.

Volkswagen Australia’s public relations manager Kurt McGuiness told CarsGuide.com.au that the manual version would offer the same mechanical specifications as the DSG version, but at a lower price.

“We have had a lot of enquiries about a manual version, and it’s great to be able to offer it to the enthusiasts,” said Mr McGuiness. “The additional allocation of manual cars is a good thing, as well.”

Currently, manual gearbox-equipped Golf GTIs account for between 20 and 25 per cent of the total sales figure for the car.

The 40 Years GTI will stand out from its donor via a unique bodykit that includes deeper side skirts, a new front bar and two-piece rear wing.

It’ll also sport black body striping and new 19-inch Ruby alloys, and will be available in the same two colours – tornado red and pure white – that marked the Mk1 GTI.

An optional contrasting black roof, black mirror caps, new rear diffusor, dual exhausts and tinted tail lights will also feature.

Mechanically, the 40 Years mimics the GTI Performance’s chassis specs, with an electro-hydraulic limited slip diff, bigger brakes and adaptive chassis control offered as standard on the MQB-based front-driver.

A bespoke anniversary ‘honeycomb’ seat upholstery treatment, plus Alcantra trim on the steering wheel and door trims, will set the five-door’s interior apart.

Adaptive cruise control and AEB are also fitted, plus blind spot monitoring with rear traffic alert.

The GTI 40 Years is expected to go on sale in July.

Are you a sucker for an anniversary edition car, or does the regular GTI do the job? Tell us what you think in the comments below.