Do you remember Lupo GTI? Well then, the smallest Volkswagen could get a GTI version again.
Launched in 2011, the Volkswagen up! has been considered by critics as one of the best models in the A-segment, something that already happened with the Lupo. But unlike the latter, the up! never received a GTI version. So far…
According to Autocar, Volkswagen is developing a GTI version of the up!, equipped with the new EA211 1.0 TSI engine at 115hp and 200 Nm – the same engine we find in models like the Golf and A3. Unlike these, the up! weighs just 925kg.
According to the same publication, Volkswagen will be able to equip the up! GTI with a six-speed manual gearbox or with a DSG 7 dual-clutch gearbox (optional). Allegedly, with the DSG 7 o up! GTI meets 0-100km/h in just 8 seconds and exceeds 200km/h top speed. To withstand the most aggressive demands, suspensions and brakes will be completely overhauled. This promises!
A little of history…We remind you that between 1998 and 2005 Volkwagen produced a model with the same sporting aspirations: the Lupo GTI. A devilish city dweller equipped with a 1.6 liter atmospheric 125hp engine. It was expensive, fast, and today it's a kind of “unicorn” that everyone looks for on classifieds sites.
Volkswagen even announced it as “the true successor to the 1975 Golf GTI” – a year in which humanity saw the birth not only of the Golf GTI but also Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. If produced, will the Volkswagen up! Will GTI live up to the legacy? We hope so.
Featured Image: Volkswagen up! facelift