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VW Golf R 400 concept is a sportscar killer

VW Golf R 400 concept car achieves 0 to 62mph in less than four seconds – start praying it reaches production.

The trusty VW Golf offers a dollop of performance, practicality and reliability in a package that would only offend the most picky of eyes. But what if you want something loutish and downright ridiculous? Volkswagen has you covered.

The VW Golf R 400 concept car is basically a mad version of the standard Golf R. Power, as the name suggests, has been ramped up from a healthy 300PS (295bhp) to 400PS (394bhp) and torque is now 450Nm instead of 380Nm. 0 to 62mph takes 3.9 seconds with the DSG gearbox equipped ─ a second faster than the Golf R. Top speed is 174mph.

Extensive changes to the R 400 make it look less ‘family man’ and more sporty. Things like flared wheel arches inspired by the 1988 Rallye Golf G60, body and bumper modifications, bigger alloy wheels, a fetching Silver Flake metallic paintjob, gloss black roof and carbon fibre on the wing mirrors.

A bit of ‘Lemon Yellow’ on the grille, bi-xenon headlights and interior stitching in the reworked interior helps tell the world this particular Golf has visions of grandeur. There’s also motorsport shell seats to keep you secure.

Admittedly the Porsche 911 Turbo, Jaguar F-Type and Nissan GT-R can accelerate faster (but not by much in the real world) but can you get three screaming children in the back and enough luggage for a holiday? Let’s also not forget the VW Golf R 400 would be substantially cheaper.

The VW Golf R 400 concept will be unveiled at the Auto China show in Beijing on April 19th. Just don’t get too attached. VW said it has no plans to bring the car to production.

Speaking of fast Golfs, we recently reported on VW Golf GTI Design Vision, which packs a 496bhp punch from a 3.0-litre twin-turbo engine.

VW Golf R 400 pictures

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