Volkswagen celebrated the 35th anniversary of the iconic Golf GTI in 2011 with the introduction of special edition Golf GTI Edition 35. The history of Golf GTI dates back to the summer of 1976 when the very first production GTI was started, which for all intents and purposes began the hot hatch market as we know it today.

Six generations later, GTI is nearing a production milestone of 2 million units. In 2011, Golf GTI was the top selling derivative in the Golf model range in South Africa with 3 565 units sold out of a total of 7123. The special edition Golf GTI Edition 35 pays homage to success of this icon and its legendary status in the last three decades.

With 173 kW of power, GTI Edition 35 outputs 18 kW more than the standard 2.0 TSI Golf GTI at 155 kW. Maximum torque of 300 Nm is available from 2 200 to 5 500 r/min (20 Nm more than the standard TI), allowing a top speed of 247 km/h. The 100 km/h benchmark sprint is achieved in 6.6 seconds. Golf GTI Edition 35 is available with standard 6-speed manual transmission and an optional 6-speed DSG.

Visually, the Golf GTI Edition 35 can be recognised by its new bumper design in front with bi-xenon headlights plus cornering and LED daytime running lights. A redesigned front bumper incorporates winglets (air flow surfaces) on either lower edge, while the mid-section is kept in black. Glossy black mirror housings, side sill extensions in body colour and the “35” edition badge on the front wings, smoked LED rear lights, an LED-illuminated licence plate at the rear and smoked rear windows, all serve to further distinguish the special edition. At a glance, however, it’ll be the new 18-inch “Watkins Glen” alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40 R18 rubber that give the Edition 35 away.

Inside, notable changes include the gear shift grip in the classic golf ball look of the first generation GTI, new decorative strips in the cockpit area and the door trim panels (“Black Array” type), special door sill plates with worked-in “35” logo and safety belts with red stripes.The centre seat panels have active-breathing microfibres, and their styling matches the legendary honeycomb pattern of the GTI radiator grille. The “35” logo appears on the backrest of the seat, and all decorative seams of this seat design are in “Flash Red”. Decorative seams around the 3-spoke leather sport steering wheel, the hand brake and gear shift trim as well as the borders of the floor mats are in red as always. Customers have an option to order the seats of the Golf GTI Edition 35 in “Vienna” leather.

Prices start from R370 900 for the manual and R385 700 for the DSG, including a 5-year/90 000km service plan and 3-year/120 000km warranty.