A Photo Tour of the VW Group’s 2011 Wörthersee Festival with 150 Images

For the past thirty year, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group cars assemble on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria to participate in the largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the years, Volkswagen and the other brands of the German group including Audi, Seat and Skoda, have used the show to unveil special concepts, new models and studies that hint at future production versions or accessories.
At this year’s event (June 1 to 4, 2011), the VW Group prepared several vehicles for the festival including the production VW Golf GTI 35 Edition with 235HP, the VW Golf Cabriolet GTI and R concepts, the wild 503HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro study, and the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible prototype. As you may have noticed, the company didn’t show much love for its Seat brand which was left to display its current lineup.

VW Golf GTI Cabriolet Concept Live from Wörthersee. Should it be Built?

Yesterday, we brought you the first images of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI Cabriolet study but today we have live photos from the car’s world premiere at the Wörthersee meeting in Austria along with official information on the concept.
The hotted-up convertible is based on the standard Golf GTI with power coming from the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 210-horsepower and 280 Nm (207-lbs/ft) of peak torque at 1.800 rpm.

Volkswagen says the open-air model’s performance matches that of the closed-top GTI with a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 7 seconds and a top speed of around 240km/h (149 mph).

Volkswagen Golf R Concepts, Tour

If there’s one thing die-hard Volkswagen fans visiting this week’s annual Wörthersee Tour in Austria aren’t going to complain about, is the lack of Golf concepts. We have already shown you the Golf GTI Cabriolet and Golf R Cabriolet and now we bring you two more studies based on the flagship Golf R hatchback. The two Golf R Color concepts were first shown at the Geneva Salon this past March and were created to demonstrate the numerous customization possibilities.

Volkswagen Brings Golf GTI Cabriolet

And the news just keeps dropping in from the largest annual GTI Meet in the world at lake Wörthersee in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia. Aside from the 270-horsepower strong Golf R Cabriolet concept that we told you about earlier today, Volkswagen also brought along a GTI study of the recently launched drop-top model.
We’re still short on information as Volkswagen has not yet published any details, but it’s safe to say that the Golf GTI Convertible is powered by either the standard Golf GTI hatchback’s 210HP 2.0-liter TFSI or the Golf GTI 35th Anniversary Edition’s 235HP 2.0-liter turbocharged unit sourced from the Golf R. Obviously power is transferred to the front wheels either through a six-speed manual gearbox or VW’s DSG transmission. The car also appears to be riding on a lowered suspension.

Volkswagen Debuts Golf R

This year’s Wörthersee meet in Austria is turning out to be quite an event for the Germans with the Volkswagen Group brands churning out one concept after the other. Following the debut of the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible, the German group pulled the veils off the Golf R Cabriolet study.
Using the recently introduced new Golf Cabriolet as a base, the designers and engineers of the Volkswagen R GmbH division built a convertible version of the gutsy Golf R hatchback.
Just like its closed top counterpart, the soft-top Golf R Cabriolet is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine putting out 270-horses and 350Nm (258.2 lb-ft) of peak torque from a low 2,500 rpm. The standard sprint to 100km/h (62mph) from standstill comes in less than 6.0 seconds while top speed is limited at 250km/h (155mph).

VW Salesman Likes to Bang and Jump on Doors

As the adage goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity and it is better to be reviled and even mocked at than to be ignored. In the case of Larry Roesch Volkswagon (that’s how the name of the German automaker is spelled on the dealer’s Youtube account), making the automotive ridiculist was intentional to grab some media and customer attention. And since we’re here talking about it, you could say that their goal has been achieved…
The VW dealer has published a series of intentionally cheap and corny commercials starring one of the company’s salesmen, Nick Pontarelli. In two of the videos, Pontarelli abuses a Volkswagen Golf GTI and a Jetta by forcefully shutting and climbing onto the doors to prove the cars' ‘German’ strength and quality. His final statement is “try that with a Hyundai or a Honda”. Watch the clips after the break.

New Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 35 Comes with 235-Horsepower

This year, Volkswagen is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the introduction of the original Golf GTI in 1976, and to mark the event, the German carmaker has unleashed a special version, named “Edition 35”. As with the “Edition 30” launched in 2006, the latest anniversary model benefits from an upgraded and more powerful engine as well as discreet styling tweaks that differentiate it from the standard Golf GTI.
Starting with the mechanical updates, the GTI's 2.0-liter turbocharged TSI engine is tuned to deliver an extra 25 horsepower, for a total of 235 horsepower. The increase in output should improve the hot hatch’s performance, but Volkswagen has not yet revealed any official figures, simply stating that the car will be more fun to drive. The automaker didn't say whether the “Edition 35” will feature a lower suspension than the stock car, as was the case with the “Edition 30”.

Wimmer RS Volkswagen Golf VI GTI

Germany tuner Wimmer RS from Solingen has released its tuning package for the Volkswagen Golf VI GTI 2.0 TFSI.

With the installation of an optimized turbo loader with manifold, a sport CAT, the adaptation of the intake system, modified fuel pump, innovative injection valves, piston rod, intercooler, high grade steel sport exhaust system, and reprogrammed ECU, the Wimmer RS Volkswagen Golf VI GTI is able to produce 386 hp and 455 Nm of maximum torque from the stock 211 hp.



The Golf VI GTI now has a top speed of 267 km/h (166 mph), an increase of 27 km/h from the stock 240 km/h. For better power transmission
and also safety reason, the Golf is equipped with a sports clutch.

The suspension system has been upgraded with a height-adjustable HR coliover suspension system.

The Wimmer RS Volkswagen Golf VI GTI stands on 18, 19 or 20” wheels where the largest version is the Motec wheel set measuring at 8×20” wrapped with Dunlop Sport Maxx GT 235/30 ZR 20 high performance tires.

RDX Racedesign Styles up the VW Golf VI

Sometimes vehicle owners don't feel like dealing with the hassles and increased costs of mechanical upgrades on their cars preferring to focus their attention on the styling aspect of tuning. If you happen to agree with the above and own a sixth-generation VW Golf, then you may want to take a look at the latest offerings from RDX Racedesign.

The tuner has launched a new bodykit for the Golf VI that comprises of a front spoiler (€149), side skirts (€149), rear apron (€149), roof spoiler (€149) and headlamp covers (€49.95). The overall cost for the aero kit is €646 which comes to around $920 US at today's exchange rates.

MR Cardesign VW Golf GTI performance package

MR Cardesign a tuner from Germany had released the all new modified Golf GTI VI. First up is an engine kit that includes an ECU upgrade which lifts output from 210HP and 280Nm of torque to a punchy 260HP and 380Nm. With 50hp and 100Nm extra performance, it helps the car to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time from 6.9 seconds to 5.8 seconds while the hot hatchback's top speed is increased from 240km/h to 263km/h or 164mph.

In addition to powertrain upgrades, MR Cardesign offers a sport suspension from KW that lowers the car by 50mm up front and by 40mm at the back, along with a high performance brake system from Sportech and 19-inch alloy wheels shod in Vredestein tires size 225/35 R19. Customer may also opt for a more sonorous sport exhaust system.