Volkswagen Revives W12 Golf to Honor GTI's 50th Anniversary

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Golf GTI, Volkswagen has resurrected its wildest Golf ever—the W12-650 concept car. Based on the Mk5 three-door hatchback, this beast was powered by a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 engine sourced from the Bentley Continental GT, arranged in a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. It produced a staggering 640 horsepower, enabling a 0–100 km/h sprint in just 3.7 seconds and a claimed top speed of 325 km/h. To accommodate the powertrain, the body was widened by 160 millimeters and incorporated components from across the Volkswagen Group, including front brakes from the Audi RS4 and a rear axle from the Lamborghini Gallardo. Additional performance-oriented touches included a carbon-fiber roof with cooling intakes, quad exhaust tips, and side air vents. Although never put into production, this "over-engineered" W12 Golf remains an iconic symbol of the bold innovation championed during the era of former Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch.