The Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S is the most
powerful ever version of the Golf GTI and was built to celebrate 40 years of
the iconic hot hatchback. With German racing driver Benny Leuchter (28) at the
wheel, the car has just smashed the existing lap record for front-wheel-drive
production cars on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with a time of 7 minutes,
49.21 seconds.
This exclusive new vehicle, based on the Volkswagen
Golf GTI Clubsport, makes its world premiere at the 2016 GTI event at Lake
Wörthersee. The hard performance numbers of this new GTI are truly impressive:
a power output of 228 kW/310 PS; 280 pound-feet of torque between 1,700 and
5.300 rpm; 0 to 62 mph acceleration in 5.8 seconds; a top speed of 162 mph; and
an unladen weight (including the driver and luggage) that has been reduced to
2,998 pounds. But the raw figures don't tell the whole story, as the record lap
time around the Nordschleife demonstrates how fast this car actually is.
The VW Golf GTI Clubsport S has an exclusive setting
for the most demanding racetrack in the world, which can be accessed using the
driving profile selector. This is possible because the car is fitted as
standard with the individually configurable Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) and a
driving profile selector. In the 'Individual' driving profile, the engineers
have developed a setting that is fine-tuned to suit the unique conditions of
the Nürburgring. Over and above that, the Comfort, Normal and Race settings are
also available. The driver can still adjust the settings in the Individual
profile, as usual, and can revert to the Nürburgring setting by resetting the
Individual profile on the touchscreen menu. This unique configuration switches
the Sound, Engine and Steering parameters in the Race profile as well as DCC to
Comfort. However, in this instance an entirely different group of settings is
hidden behind this option, instead of the normal Race and Comfort settings.
The production run will be limited to 400 cars
worldwide, 100 of which will be delivered to customers in Germany. Colors will
be limited to those of the original GTI: "Tornado Red", "Pure
White" and "Deep Black Pearl Effect", with the roof painted
black. The Clubsport S is based on the two-door model with a manual
transmission, in order to keep the weight as low as possible.
The Clubsport S is a pure two-seater. Doing away with
the rear seats, including the central armrest, for example, accounts for the
most noticeable weight saving. A smaller battery, as well as doing without
insulation, the variable-height trunk floor, the rear parcel shelf, and the
floor mats pushed the weight down yet further. An aluminum subframe for the
front suspension and aluminum brake covers also shed weight. On the other hand,
235/35 ZR Michelin tyres mounted on 19-inch "Pretoria"
aluminium-alloy wheels, DCC, a strut brace, a partition net behind the seats
and a carpet in the rear add some of that saving back, for a total weight
reduction of approximately 66 pounds in comparison to a similarly equipped Golf
GTI Clubsport. The unladen weight is 2833 pounds, resulting in a dynamic
power-to-weight ratio of 9.14 pounds per horsepower. Less weight also means
greater fuel efficiency, with an NEDC rating of 31.8 mpg (equivalent to 172
g/km CO2).
The development team exploited synergies between
motorsport and production vehicles in enhancing the engine performance, as they
could draw on their experience with the 243 kW/330 PS Golf GTI TCR—the new
racing car for the TCR International Series. This also gave them the
opportunity to boost the engine to 310 PS and 280 lb-ft. The engineers achieved
this boost in performance with a modified engine control unit and a new exhaust
system: an increased diameter of 2.56 inches instead of 2.16 in reduces the
exhaust backpressure and increases the performance. A side effect of the
modifications is that the exhaust system produces a wonderful and deliberate
'backfire' under braking! In the course of the modifications the engineers also
integrated a new fuel pump with increased throughput. The engine of the
front-wheel drive Golf GTI Clubsport S is technically based on the 1,984 cc TSI
engine that also powers the other versions of the Golf GTI and the Golf R.
Exterior
Other changes for the most exclusive Golf GTI include
the following: semi-slick Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires mounted on 19-inch
"Pretoria" alloy wheels, tinted rear windows that absorb 65 percent
of the light, "Clubsport S" type plates, Bi-Xenon headlights with
cornering lights and LED daytime running lights. The brake system was also
modified to withstand the high temperatures inflicted at a racetrack. The disc
bells are made of aluminium and are connected to the steel discs by cast
location pins, allowing them to expand radially when they heat up. An important
factor for the car's handling is that the unsprung mass of each wheel is 2.2
pounds lower thanks to the aluminum brake covers. To further improve the
braking performance, the Golf GTI Clubsport S has special brake pads.
Interior
Each of the 400 VW Golf GTI Clubsport S cars made will
have its production number (001/400 to 400/400) on the center console in the
front. The driver and the front seat passenger sit in racing bucket seats that
provide the necessary lateral support while flying around the Nordschleife. The
car also features GTI insignia that's featured in the "normal" Golf
GTI Clubsport, including the iconic golf ball shifter knob with Alcantara trim,
a red line in the safety belts, "Honeycomb 40" design decals on the
dashboard and doors, and elegant Piano Black accents. The extremely grippy
Alcantara-trimmed sport steering wheel, which has a chrome GTI emblem, red
stitching and the 12-o'clock position marked out, was designed to be
ergonomically perfect for the track.
Genesis
The idea for the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S
originated when the team responsible for the "normal" GTI at
Volkswagen tested the final version of the current Golf GTI Performance Pack on
the racetrack. "It was obvious to all of us that this GTI had immense
potential," recalls Karsten Schebsdat, Head of Chassis Tuning, "so we
decided to get the most performance possible out of this car. A small team went
through the entire process, from bottom to top, pretty much like it was back
when the first Golf GTI came into being." In addition to the weight
reduction and the improvement in performance, two other factors are of
fundamental importance when it comes to designing a really fast car: optimal
aerodynamics and an outstanding chassis.
When it comes to aerodynamics, Volkswagen was able to
draw on the modifications already implemented in the Golf GTI Clubsport. Both
the "Clubsport" and the "Clubsport S" have completely new
front bumpers that improve engine induction, front end aero, and downforce. At
the rear, the roof-edge spoiler that was perfected in the wind tunnel and is
significantly larger on the Clubsport versions results in significant amounts
of additional rear downforce. In conjunction with a black rear diffuser, this
two-part rear wing generates more downforce on the rear axle than on the front
axle. In the case of the Golf GTI Clubsport S, this means that the understeer
that is typical of front-wheel-drive cars is practically eliminated.
The new VW Golf GTI Clubsport S also has a special
sport chassis. Karsten Schebsdat explains: "To neutralize the understeer
and at the same time boost grip levels, we counteracted understeer on the front
axle and specially designed the hub carriers," resulting in higher camber
angles. The negative camber increases the potential for directional control,
thus optimizing the grip on the front axle. The Clubsport S is characterised by
similarly good balance to the "normal" Clubsport, even at higher
levels of lateral acceleration, allowing even higher cornering speeds. Braking
performance was also perfected, in particular to prevent the rear end from
breaking away: combined with the aerodynamic measures, this allows the driver
to brake into bends in a controlled way.
Even at full acceleration the car has even better
traction due to the modified chassis tuning and the tires. Volkswagen was also
able to fine-tune the ESC software on this basis: even though the traction
control intervenes later in the Golf GTI Clubsport S and the torque is reduced
less, "wheel hop" from the front wheels, typical of powerful
front-wheel drive cars at maximum acceleration, is practically eliminated. The
extra acceleration is also handled by stiffer engine mounts, a new coupling rod
between the transmission and front axle, and a reinforced transmission. Other
important elements include the XDS+ system and the electronically controlled,
torque-sensing limited slip differential.
As is the case for the other GTI models, Volkswagen
also offers the 'ESC Sport' function for very experienced drivers. The system
is activated by a two-stage switch on the center console. When the driver
presses this switch briefly, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) switches to the
'ESC Sport' mode. In very fast driving with lots of bends—such as on the
Nordschleife—ESC responds later and thereby gives even more agile handling. If
the driver pushes the switch for more than three seconds, the ESC system is
completely deactivated. As an alternative to the push-button switch on the
centre console, the ESC can also be activated or deactivated in the settings on
the car menu.
Nürburgring Nordschleife setting
Most racetracks in the world are smooth and relatively
flat. That's not the case on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where there are
plenty of bumps and elevation changes, as well as a daunting number of corners
on top of that. So a car tuned to drive on the Nürburgring needs, on the one
hand, to be able to take bends at high speed, while at the same time being able
to cope with extreme dips and crests. If a car is fine-tuned for driving on a
normal racetrack, where the suspension is very stiff, this isn't helpful on the
Nordschleife. Rather, the car needs to be fairly soft vertically, but at the
same time stiff when it comes to lateral damping. This is exactly what the
Volkswagen engineers managed to take into account when fine tuning the
spring/damper package for the DCC system.
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