Cars

Say hello to the new FWD Nürburgring champion, the Golf GTI Clubsport S (pictures)

Lapping the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 49.21 seconds, the Clubsport S handily trounced the old record set by Honda's 2015 Civic Type R.

Andrew Krok

Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.

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Andrew Krok

May 4, 2016 8:54 a.m. PT

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The Clubsport S is the most powerful GTI variant that's ever been built.

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It puts out about 306 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.

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Its curb weight is under 3,000 pounds, which includes the driver.

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60 mph arrives in 5.8 seconds, with all power going to the front wheels.

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To keep the weight as low as possible, Volkswagen removed the rear seat and the center armrest.

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Only 400 Clubsport S models will be produced, 100 of which will stay in Germany.

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VW's Nordschleife lap time is about six tenths of a second faster than the previous record, set by Honda.

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Honda picked up the record after besting the Renault Mégane RS and its 7:54.36 lap time.

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While the Clubsport S isn't exactly the ideal replacement for the R400 that will never get built, it's apparently good enough to win a pretty laudable record.