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The 30th anniversary example of the three-door car that created the sports hatchback niche is shaping up to be one of the most collectable models offered for sale in New Zealand - and it's not even here yet.
Demand for the Volkswagen Golf GTi Edition 30 has gone through the roof as the carmaker counts down to its launch in Auckland early next year. Only 30 models, one for each year of Golf GTi's existence, have been allocated to New Zealand in a production run of 1500 left- and right-hand-drive examples.
The response to Edition 30 has been amazing, says Dean Sheed, general manager of VW New Zealand. "We will have customers' names on all 30 cars before Christmas. It will be a standout model, the hero car of the GTi range. Unfortunately I can't get more than 30 anniversary models from the factory."
The 30th birthday theme has been carried through to the new car's output power - the turbocharged 2-litre engine is up by 30bhp over the standard GTi, or 1bhp for each year. Torque has been boosted by 20Nm to 300Nm. The front-drive anniversary model went into production in Germany this month and follows almost to the letter the look of the design study unveiled in May. Features include matt-black 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear aprons and side trim.
Inside, birthday badges sit on the door sills and above the glovebox, and the sports seats are covered in a check design the same as the Interlagos pattern in the original GTi of 1976.
The Edition 30s direct-injection petrol engine is the same unit used in the standard GTi, reworked to produce 169kW (230bhp) and 300Nm against 147kW (200bhp) and 280Nm.
Buyers will have a choice of gearboxes: six-speed manual or six-speed direct-shift. Each will be topped by the golf ball design of the original GTi. Specification levels will be similar to the current Golf GTi except for a few add-ons, such as a six-CD stereo system, electric driver's seat adjustment and rear park aid.
No word on performance figures yet but the extra oomph from the engine is expected to give Edition 30 a top speed of around 245km/h, or just over 150mph. Sprint time from zero to 100KM/H is likely to be in the high fives.
Price? Sheed isn't saying but the smart money is on the manual at $59,990 and the DSG at $62,990. That's what dealers will ask. What a buyer hell-bent on the anniversary model will be prepared to pay is another story.
