The Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 takes the fastest FWD production car crown on the Nürburgring Nordschleife

To celebrate 50 years of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, the German automaker unveiled the EDITION 50 anniversary variant last year, and it has one heck of a claim to its name apart from being a limited anniversary variant— it’s now the fastest front-wheel drive production model on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Clocking in with a time of 7:44.523 around the 20.832km track, this is just a fraction of a second faster than the Honda Civic Type R (FL5), which managed to get 7:44.881 using the same track layout.

Compared to the standard Golf GTI, the Edition 50 has an uprated power output of 325 horsepower and 420 Nm of torque from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine, allowing a 0 to 100kph sprint in 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 270kph.

You can watch the official attempt below:

Alongside handling improvements, a 15mm lower stance with the DCC adaptive chassis control, a lightweight titanium R-Performance exhaust system, 19-inch forged alloy wheels, and Bridgestone Potenza Race semi-slick tires allowed Volkswagen test and development driver Benjamin Leuchter to push it to a production record.

Granted, while it’s been a while since Volkswagen pulled out of the Philippines, models like these are still very desirable, especially to enthusiasts. Which automaker should scoop up the legendary German brand?

^{Photo from Volkswagen}