When the very first GTi went on sale in 1976 it was a gamble taken by the management board. A small engineering team created a Sport Golf that was greenlighted for a limited run of just 5 000 units. Eventually dubbed the GTi, the performance halo was shown at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in 1975 with sales starting in 1976. Public response was more than positive and the rest, as they say, is history. 461 690 units of the Mk1 GTi sold and over eight generations encompassing 45 years, in excess of 2,3 million units have been sold worldwide. This week a VW Golf GTI Clubsport 45 was debuted to celebrate the nameplate’s anniversary.

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Next in line

The original Golf GTI Clubsport was launched in 2016 to celebrate the badge’s 40th birthday. That first member of the Clubsport series delivered a constant 195 kW of power with brief periods of 213 kW available thanks to an overboost function. That same year also heralded the arrival of the Golf GTI Clubsport S which had 228 kW of power. The latter is the most powerful series production GTI ever made.

Watch a Mk8 Golf R drag race a BMW M135i and Mercedes-AMG A35 in this video.

2,0-litre turbo power

The VW Golf GTI Clubsport 45 is based on the ‘standard’ Mk8 Clubsport. Under the bonnet is the brand’s tried and trusted EA888 powerplant in an ‘evo 4’ state of tune. The 2,0-litre turbocharged motor has peak power of 221 kW along with maximum torque of 400 N.m. Those outputs are somewhat higher than the Mk8 GTI’s 180 kW/370 N.m. The Clubsport’s power output places it right up there with segment-leading hot hatches such as the Honda Civic Type R and Renault Megane RS300.

Click here to read about the Spitze Golf, an SA race special that never was.

While a standard GTI has two transmission options, a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (called DSG), the Clubsport is fitted solely with the latter. Power is sent to the front axle through an electromechanical differential lock. From a performance perspective expect a sub-six second 0-100 km/h dash.

Bespoke appearance

The VW Golf GTI Clubsport 45 boasts an individual appearance. The exterior boasts a black roof complete with black roof spoiler, an homage to the black-framed rear window of the first Golf GTI. With the ‘race’ package, which is standard and exclusive to the Golf GTI Clubsport 45, equipment includes 19-inch Scottsdale alloy wheels in a high-gloss black finish, with a narrow accent pinstripe detail in red.

VW Golf GTI Clubsport 45 interior

The race package also includes a sport exhaust system and removal of the top speed limiter, which limits the top speed of the regular Clubsport top 250 km/h. Lettering on the side sill panel and the “45” added to the lettering on the boot lid are other differentiators. The Clubsport 45 series also features LED matrix headlights with the red trim strip which is included on all GTIs. The interior of the anniversary model also features classic GTI insignia. These include GTI lettering on the backrests, a “45” on at the centre spoke (at 6 o’clock) of the multi-function wheel.

Watch experienced journalist Henry Catchpole’s review of the VW Golf Clubsport in the video below.