It’s the car that Volkswagen fans have eagerly awaited since the very first R400 show car made its appearance. At the time, it was a purely a concept, but it seems public reaction was been sufficient for Wolfsburg to confirm production of the Golf R400.
CAR UK’s spy photographers have caught this test car doing the rounds near the Nürburgring, which leads us to believe that it could appear in production form at a motor show before the year ends. The good money is on a Frankfurt Show debut.
High performance cues
For those who think that this is just another Golf R rolling on some eye-catching alloys and wide rubber there are a few clues that it could well be an R400. First of those is the larger rear spoiler, as also seen on the Clubsport model, and the second is that piece of test equipment hanging from the passenger side window.
And the most obvious signs are the large format front brake discs. These have the same wavy pattern as found on high performance Audi models.
Power to lead
As is the case with the regular R model power will be derived from a direct-injection 2,0-litre four cylinder motor. Maximum power will be in excess of 300 kW (according to most reports), which places it at the head of the hot-hatch class, usurping Mercedes-Benz’s A45 AMG (265 kW) and Audi’s RS3 (270 kW). Torque will be delivered to all four wheels via a dual-clutch transmission.
