GTI High

The last weekend of November saw what is probably the biggest birthday party ever held for a car here in Singapore. Volkswagen celebrated the 35th anniversary for the Golf GTI not only with a big bash but also introduced the new Golf GTI E35, the most powerful GTI ever in the model’s 35 year history. The event was held over three days at the sprawling grounds of the Old Kallang Airport. Despite the sheer size of the venue, the event was packed to capacity on the first day when we were in attendance with the media fraternity as well as over 2,000 Volkswagen customers. For the next two days, members of the public as well as invited guests thronged the gates of the venue in attendance.

The electrifying atmosphere of the event was further boosted by the venue being transformed into a GTI shrine, sort of a mini Worthersee. For the uninitiated, Worthersee is the location for the world’s biggest GTI festival held annually. One of the major highlights of the event was the launch of the newest GTI variant – the Golf GTI E35. The E35 isn't only a special edition GTI but all GTIs now sold in Singapore will be E35 models at no additional cost. The E35 can easily be differentiated on the outside by its revised aero kit, 18-inch Watkins Glen alloys and so on. Inside, the biggest news is the revised upholstery for the seats that feature the honeycombe pattern as found on the GTI's radiator grille. the seats also feature the 35 logo while the seams are in Flash Red.

Under the bonnet, the GTI E35 gets more power from its 2-litre TSI lump when compared to the outgoing stock Mk 6 GTI - 235bhp and 300Nm versus 211bhp and 280Nm. the additional power equates to a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds, three tenths quicker than the 211bhp model.

Other event highlights include the special appearance of famed Italian car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. The designer of the original Mk 1 Golf was on stage to cut a special 550kg GTI birthday cake with Volkswagen Centre Singapore Managing Director Dr. Zeno Kerschbaumer. The event also featured a 35-car GTI convoy driving around Singapore roads while the best GTI from each of the six generations did ‘catwalks’ on stage and were paraded for all to ogle and admire. While early generation GTI models are common in Europe, the event marked a rare chance for many local GTI fans to have close looks at the rarer Mk 1, 2 and 3 versions. In addition to the GTIs, the boys in the crowd also had the opportunity to ogle at the bevy of beauties who were vying for the Miss GTI crown.

There were also games and other activities lined up for the entire family throughout the weekend, with lots of great prizes. GTI merchandise were on sale at the event for the fan boys while fabulous deals were offered on the entire range of Volkswagen models.

Credits: Story by Raymond Lai Photos by Volkswagen