2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR confirmed

Volkswagen will reveal a new motorsport-inspired Golf GTI variant at the end of the month, when its world debut will coincide with this year’s Nurburgring 24 Hour endurance race.

Odds are the vehicle in question is a reborn 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR special-edition, given the German endurance race features both GT cars and touring cars (TCR), the latter of which are all based on front-wheel drive platforms – a GTI signature.

The announcement was made by Volkswagen via a social media video that teased a pixelated prototype pumping round the Green Hell with its GTI identity confirmed by a close-up of the red badging on the tailgate, however there’s a strange familiarity to the censored vehicle.

Put simply, it wears a much more aggressive front bumper than the standard GTI that was facelifted in January, though the new fascia looks an awful lot like the one fitted to the wrapped pre-production car shown a couple of weeks prior.

Volkswagen has therefore been hiding the Mk8.5 Golf GTI TCR in plain sight and already given us a preview – we just didn’t realise it at the time.

Another look at that semi-disguised prototype and a side-by-side comparison with the standard GTI reveals angrier side skirts, a much more aggressive rear diffuser, bigger exhaust outlets, a larger rear wing, slightly lower ride height, lightweight wheels and higher-performance tyres.

Previous TCR-edition Golfs have been limited-run specials packing more power, less weight and a more aggressive chassis set-up than the already-spicy GTI – a combination that has yielded Golf R-poaching circuit performance in the right conditions.

With the new GTI now having scored a power bump in standard trim (195kW), odds are the TCR will follow suit and nab the 221kW/400Nm version of the EA888 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine as seen in the Mk8 GTI Clubsport and Cupra Leon VZx – leaving room for an updated Clubsport to materialise further down the line.

This would equate to a 26kW power increase and a circa-20Nm torque advantage over the standard GTI – 8kW/50Nm more than the previous TCR – which should yield some noticeable performance increases when paired with the more focused chassis set-up and trimmed kerb weight.

The Golf dynasty will turn 50 later this year, which suggests the new TCR will be known officially as the ‘2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR 50’.

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