HERNDON, VIRGINIA - Have you ever wondered what the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI would look like with a bit of 1980s flavour? That’s exactly what Volkswagen’s US division has aimed for with the new Golf GTI BBS Concept.
As the name implies, it was created in conjunction with wheel specialist BBS, and the project was led by well-known Volkswagen enthusiast Jamie Orr.
The concept’s design centres around a set of 19-inch BBS Super RS alloy wheels, featuring the traditional BBS ‘waffle and hex’ pattern. They’re fitted with 235/35/19 D7 tyres by Delinte.
For the lowered suspension system, Orr used a mixture of H&R components, with the rear using the standard coil overs that H&R makes for the Golf 8 GTI, and the front being reconfigured to add camber adjustment.
Also setting the concept apart is BBS retro red and black vintage livery with pinstriping that runs from stem to stem.
Although the EA888 2-litre turbopetrol engine remains unchanged, with outputs of 180kW and 370Nm, the Golf 8 GTI BBS concept does gain new exhaust from Borla.
“We wanted to maintain the soul of the Mk8, so we went with more traditional modifications,”Orr said. “But we left the interior, body, and powertrain exactly as it came from the factory.
“Take those wingback seats, with this striking red design - they are just phenomenal. Changing any of that would have been a shame.”
“For the original Mk2, Volkswagen used all the elements their customers loved about the first GTI and built upon them,” Orr added. “The Mk8 has a new body style and more power under the hood, plus a bunch of tweaks that make it the best handling GTI I’ve ever driven.”