Hottest ever VW Golf sets new 'Ring record

Volkswagen's hottest ever Golf, the GTI Cubsport S, has lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in just 7:49.21, setting a new lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at Germany's famed 20.83km road circuit.

The predictable publicity stunt was announced on the eve of the wild, limited-edition Golf's world public debut at the Worthersee VW fan festival, which opens in Austria tonight our time.

It also comes before the standard Golf GTI Clubsport -- which will be called the Golf GTI 40 Years Edition in Australia, where HSV owns the ClubSport name – arrives in June, priced from $48,990 plus on-road costs.

Volkswagen Group Australia is yet to announce how many examples of the Golf GTI 40 Years Edition cars will be available here, but says the Golf GTI Cubsport is unlikely since it's manual-only, three-door only and limited to just 400 units globally.

That's a shame, because it delivers even more performance than the standard Clubsport, with 230kW and 380Nm on tap from its more highly tuned EA888 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine.

The upgraded engine, which comprises a revised ECU and larger fuel pump, reduces the car's 0-100km/h by a tenth to 5.8 seconds and lifts its top speed to no less than 265km/h.

The most powerful Golf GTI ever is also the lightest at just 1285kg – 30kg less than the regular Clubsport – thanks to the removal of the rear seats, centre armrest and sound insulation, and the fitment of a smaller battery, aluminium brake covers and an aluminium subframe for the front suspension

There's also a new exhaust system, front racing bucket seats with red-lined seat belts and an Alcantara-trimmed sports steering wheel and golf ball gear knob.

Hot Golf fans will know the GTI Clubsport/40 Years edition's power output is significantly more powerful than not only the standard $40,990 Golf GTI (162kW) and the $46,490 Golf GTI Performance (169kW), but also VW's range-topping $52,740 Golf R, which is detuned from 221kW to 206kW in Australia.

That’s because, for the first time in a Golf, the 40-year edition’s direct-injection TSI four will come with a turbo overboost function that delivers peak power of 213kW and maximum torque of 380Nm for 10 seconds at a time.

That makes the front-wheel drive Golf GTI 40 Years edition significantly quicker than the Golf GTI Performance, with a 0-100km/h time of just six seconds in six-speed manual form, dropping to 5.9 sec in six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic form.

The all-wheel drive Golf R remains the fastest Golf, however, with a 0-100km/h time of five seconds, although the special-edition tops out at the same 250km/h.

The Golf GTI 40 Years also brings the same basic mechanical package as the GTI Performance, including bigger brakes, a sophisticated front differential lock, unique 19-inch alloy wheels and adaptive chassis control.

For the record, the S-spec GTI Clubsport's sub-7:50 lap betters the 7:54.36 time set by the Renault Megane RS275 Trophy-R back in June 2014, as well as the 7:58.44 time set by a Seat Leon Cupra 280 and the 7:50.63 time set by a single-seat prototype version of the new Honda Civic Type-R.

The 'Green Hell' record-setting GTI Clubsport S was driven by 28-year-old German racer Benny Leuchter and fitted with a “special sport chassis” with a unique "Nurburgring setting", “special brake pads” and "semi slick" Michelin Sport Cup 2 tyres.