March 2018: it is by no means an everyday event to witness the roadworthy touring racer automatically glide out of one of the two glass delivery towers before covering the final few metres down the lane of the delivery pavilion under its own steam, emitting a throaty sound from its exhaust as it goes. There’s no doubt about it – even when parked between two brand-new, sparkling Golf GTI road models, this exceptional, highly polished white sports car is the undisputed star of the show on this spring morning. The new owner of vehicle number 100 is the racing team owner Franz Engstler. This car fanatic from the Allgäu region, who was a successful Touring car driver earlier, put the very first Golf GTI TCR into racing useand was obviously not going to miss out on the opportunity to collect this special touring car himself.

Broad design for the racetrack
The broad-shouldered bodywork is unmistakably Golf, yet fascinatingly different at the same time. In line with the update to the series models, the Golf GTI TCR was given a subtle facelift in the form of a new front and fresh LED tail lights. The protruding GFRP wheel arches are especially striking: the body kit is a functional eye-catcher and further emphasises the typical Golf shoulders and the broad C-pillar profile. It offers the voluminous 260-66 R18 racing tyres and the substantially wider toe compared with the series Golf plenty of room for manoeuvre. The impressive TCR aluminium wing with a splitter adds the finishing aerodynamic touch and