VW once combined a Bentley W-12 with the Golf GTI
Here’s a look at the ridiculous, scary, and downright hilarious Golf GTI with a W-12 powertrain.
German manufacturers are often known for having an air of stoicism on them. Between the extreme tech, the ever escalating horsepower war, and a newfound focus on ecology, it’s really no wonder many of these companies tend to offer very little in terms of humor. But in 2007 Volkswagen set new standards and showed how funny they can actually be.
Every year, Volkswagen and Audi are involved in the Wörthersee auto show, which is basically a festival for German car brands. In addition, the auto show serves as a lucrative advertising platform to present new models, prototypes and concepts. Unfortunately, they had nothing to showcase for Volkswagen, and the show was only eight weeks away.
So what did you do? Well, they made an inventory of all the cars within the Volkswagen Group and started plucking parts from different models. According to Top Gear, they took over the brakes and the rear axle from a Lamborghini Gallardo, the rear subframe from an Audi R8 and, above all, the W-12 engine from a Bentley Continental.
And what did they put all of this into? A Golf GTI, of course!
Here’s a look at the ridiculous, scary, and downright hilarious Golf GTI with a W-12 powertrain.
It’s not just quick for a golf … it’s a quick period
The car, known as the Golf GTI W12-650, was announced as a prototype. Specifically, the vehicle was developed to show what Volkswagen can do when they come up with something. Plus, they didn’t want to disappoint their young, flat-brimmed, steamy fan base.
The W-12 in question had a disastrous 6.0-liter displacement and had two turbochargers on each side of the engine. It was also placed right in the middle of the car. Together, these faster parts give the Golf access to an invigorating 650 horsepower and a top speed of 202 mph! That’s the equivalent of a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which, remember, was literally built specifically to go that fast in a straight line.
As you can imagine, the 0-60 times aren’t overly shoddy either. From a standing start, the Golf accelerates to 100 km / h in a breathtaking 3.5 seconds! This gets even more impressive when you consider that this car only sends its power to the rear wheels.
Unfortunately not everything works
As you may already know, a lot of work goes into designing and building a car. Again, it takes a long time to try everything. Since the W12-650 only took eight weeks to build, not much of that happened.
Basically, almost every single button inside the Golf does not work. The paddles behind the steering wheel? No How about those cool switches on top of the dashboard? Negative. Air conditioning? Oh no. Essentially, the main feature is the engine, which sits where the rear passenger seats should be.
And then there is the steering
In the chassis, the GTI was lowered by 70 mm and widened by 160 mm. There are also 295 mm tires at the rear and 235 mm tires at the front. As a result of these changes, you’d think this thing was a beast in the corners, right? Unfortunately, the answer to that question is a big “no”.
Oddly enough, the Golf is actually a horror (and not in a good way) around the corners. Unfortunately, the car oversteers so extremely that it can no longer be controlled. The reason for this terrible driving behavior is the short wheelbase and the mountains of power that the vehicle has at its disposal (a shame).
Why did that never go into production?
As mentioned earlier, this car was designed for the sole purpose of showing something new and exciting at an auto show. For this reason, the vehicle was never intended for series production. This may be the main reason the car was never added to Volkswagen’s range, but there is another reason: Dieselgate.
Shortly after the debut of the Golf GTI W12-650, it turned out that the German company had not exactly played by the rules. Specifically, it became known that the company had falsified its emissions figures. The result has been massive fines, tons of car buybacks, and even some arrests.
Despite this happening, the W-12 equipped Golf wouldn’t really thrive in today’s automotive environment anyway. As you probably know, we are in the process of electrifying as many cars as possible. Volkswagen alone plans to become fully electric in Europe by 2026. A Bentley-powered Golf, therefore, probably wouldn’t help advance that agenda.
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