News: Volkswagen reveals fastest-ever Golf R 400

TECHNICALLY, the new Volkswagen Golf R 400 is not a production car, it’s a concept. And technically, its highly tuned 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine boasts 400PS, which is 396bhp. But petrolheads don’t care about such details; they simply want to know when they can get their hands on the fastest ever production Golf.

The concept car was revealed today at the Beijing motor show. Should Volkswagen choose to build the Golf R 400, the humble German hatchback will be more powerful than a Porsche 911.

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The good news is, the chances of it being made are high. At the launch of the latest Golf R, Ulrich Richter, the boss responsible for Volkswagen’s performance models, told Driving.co.uk that he believed there was a place for a more powerful Golf, and that its cars would become markedly more fun to drive and extreme in terms of performance.

The engine is not only about power; it produces a lot of torque – 331Ib ft between 2,400rpm and 6,000rpm – which ensures effortless performance across the rev range. And with four-wheel drive, it can rocket off the line and reach 62mph in just 3.9 seconds. Volkswagen claims the top speed is electronically restricted to 174mph, suggesting this is a Golf capable of over 180mph…

Drivers who would like to own a 400 horsepower Golf should pester their local Volkswagen dealer and let their feelings be known on the company’s social media channels.