Back in 2007, in a moment of because-we-can silliness that mass market car companies could only justify in those heady pre-financial crash days, Volkswagen decided to stuff one of its almighty W12 engines into the middle of a fifth-generation Golf GTI for a one-off show car.
Why? Partly, it was a treat for GTI fans attending the now-dead GTI Treffen fan gathering in Wörthersee, Austria that year, but mainly, we suspect it was because some VW engineers had some free time and a spare W12 sitting around in a workshop somewhere.
Although called a ‘design study’, the car, known as the Golf GTI W12-650, was fully functional, and was even slid around the Top Gear Test Track by Jeremy Clarkson, but it largely disappeared from the public view following its moment in the spotlight – until now. VW has brought the car out of retirement to mark the Golf GTI’s 50th birthday, and not only that, it’s been given a bit of a makeover.
The Ultimate Mashup
Volkswagen
The beating heart of the W12-650 was the 6.0-liter W12 engine that the VW group was stuffing into its biggest, most luxurious cars at the time, including the Audi A8 and ill-fated VW Phaeton. The Golf concept, though, borrowed the version from the Bentley Continental GT, which threw a pair of turbochargers into the equation for a total of 641 HP (650 PS, hence the name). Sending the power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed DSG auto, VW said it was hypothetically capable of hitting 62 MPH in 3.7 seconds and maxing out at 202 MPH, but we doubt anyone was ever brave enough to try.
A special aluminum subframe was installed to allow the engine to fit the gigantic engine, and to quench the powerplant’s enormous thirst for cool air, the Golf’s body was widened by nearly five inches so two giant intakes could be fitted. It rode 2.75 inches lower than standard, too.
To try and make this Frankenstein’s concoction even remotely driveable, VW looked elsewhere in its empire for other high-performance bits, including the rear brakes and rear axle from a Lamborghini Gallardo and front brakes from an Audi RS4. This didn’t really do much to tame something the length of a Golf with a huge 12-cylinder engine sending 641 HP to the rear wheels, but the thought was there.
A Surprise Rebirth
Volkswagen
After doing the rounds in all the car publications of the day and having its moment at Wörthersee, the W12-650 was squirrelled away in a storage unit somewhere to gather dust. Until now, that is.
The Golf GTI celebrating its milestone 50th birthday in 2026, and that naturally means lots of celebrations. As part of this, VW has recommissioned three GTI concepts from over the years. Two are the roadster and hatchback concepts it designed as part of the Vision Gran Turismo program, but the third is the W12-650, which has even had a bit of a makeover for the occasion.
Okay, that ‘makeover’ appears to amount to a fresh coat of paint – rather than the original white, it’s now the same hue of Tornado Red as the not-for-the-US Golf GTI Edition 50 – but it’s nevertheless nice to see this wild creation out and about again, as a reminder of the ambition and financial freedom that characterised the VW Group of the noughties.
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