- 50 years of the VW Golf GTI
- Compact sports car first produced in 1976
- More than 2.5 million units sold to date
- New Golf GTI ‘Edition 50’ on the way in 2026
- First electric GTI (a VW Polo) also set to launch this year
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Let’s give the birthday bumps to the VW Golf GTI - as the world’s most successful compact sports car turns 50.
Yep, the Golf GTI is now five decades old having first rolled off the production line back in 1976.
Since that point more than 2.5 million units have been sold across the world and VW reckons it’s a car that ‘turned the sports car world upside down’ with its ‘dynamic performance and outstanding value for money’.
Chances are you’ve owned or leased one at some point and that winning mix of sharp handling and reassuring amounts of power (without ever being intimidating) is an alluring one indeed.
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How much power did the original VW Golf GTI have?
When the Volkswagen Golf GTI made its debut in 1976 it came with 110 PS. That’s modest by today’s standards with every single modern variant of the Golf offering more oomph.
But the GTI was rapid for the day (doing 0-62mph in 9.0 seconds) and was also about more than just pace.
It looked the part, coming with a red grille surround, black wheel arch extensions and golf ball gear knob, and was also built with everyday usability in mind.
Only 5,000 units were initially planned, but in the first year alone dealers sold 10 times as many vehicles. In total, 461,690 first-generation Golf GTI cars were built.
VW tells us: “It was the unusual overall package that struck a chord: a highly precise sports car for lonely Alpine passes and, at the same time, a practical companion for every day of the year, extremely economical and instantly a timeless style icon. The price was also a hit: 13,850 Deutschmarks in Germany. The media spoke of the democratisation of the sports car.”
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What is the most powerful production VW Golf GTI?
Good question - because the most powerful production VW Golf GTI is arriving in 2026.
It’s called the Golf GTI Edition 50 and it’ll be handed a whopping 325 PS - which is a good chunk more than the 300 PS you get with the Golf GTI Clubsport.
We’ve already seen it setting a new ‘fastest VW ever’ record around the Nürburgring with a time of 07:46:13 mins - which even beats the all-wheel drive Golf R.
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Racing driver Benny Leuchter was behind the wheel at the time and said the front-wheel drive GTI Edition 50’s performance chassis and lightweight alloy wheels make it an absolute track weapon.
He said at the time: “Three years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I could ever beat the lap time of the outstanding Golf R with a front-wheel drive Golf GTI as clearly as I have now. The fact that this has now happened – in quite bad weather, by the way – actually says everything about the successful set-up and extraordinary potential of this GTI.”
Order books for the VW Golf GTI Edition 50 are set to open later this month and it’s expected to cost from around £47,995.
Is there an electric VW Golf GTI?
No, there’s no fully-electric Golf GTI right now. The nearest you’ll get to it is the plug-in hybrid Golf GTE.
But you can bet your bottom dollar there’ll be an electric Golf GTI in the near future (our guess is that’ll arrive in 2027).
Volkswagen is transitioning the ‘GTI’ brand to its electric hatchbacks and we’ll see a VW ID. Polo GTI later in 2026, which will come with power of 226 PS.
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