The Volkswagen Golf GTI is unquestionably one of the most iconic cars in the automotive industry. Put it in a lineup and we’d venture to guess that the majority of people could successfully identify the hot hatch. Sure, the original was meticulously styled by Giugiaro, but what is this VW Golf GTE HyRACER all about?
With a name like that, you’d probably expect Jeremy Clarkson with door mirrors, or a GTI TCR with some license plates taped on. Not the case though, as this vehicle is a culmination of careful efforts from an apprenticeship program in Autostadt, Wolfsburg. Trainees at Volkswagen Retail Group Germany were given a few months to customize the GTI to their heart’s content. The group came up with the HyRACER concept, where the “Hy” stands for hybrid and “RACER” for the motorsports DNA behind the street-legal car they’ve created.
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“Once a year, the most passionate fans of the Volkswagen brand and especially the Golf GTI meet to exchange ideas and celebrate together,” said Jürgen Stackmann, board member for sales at the Volkswagen brand. “Not only the fans but also our trainees have been looking forward to these days for many years.”
While the hybrid powertrain appears to be the vehicle’s party piece, details on the unit are quite scarce. Sure, the combination only produces 248 horsepower (185 kilowatts) but we’d like to see the torque figures before making any real judgments. Not a big worry though, as it appears that this car’s performance is much greater than the sum of its parts.
Aside from its hybrid powerplant, the vehicle features a bespoke body kit designed and made by the team of apprentices. The new panels consist of a front splitter, flared fenders, rear diffuser, and a roof spoiler fitted with an Arteon brake light. Along with massaging the bodywork, the HyRACER sits on black powder-coated 19-inch wheels designed by the engineering team.
With mere months to see what they could accomplish, we can’t imagine what the team could have created if they weren’t against the clock. Who knows if we’ll find out, but it’s clear that the German automaker’s future looks bright if this group of people has anything to do with it.
Time