VW Golf GTI W12 650 Concept

It would appear that the Audi TT clubsport was just an appetizer for the fans at the Wörthersee 2007 meet in Austria. Volkswagen has upped the ante by throwing down a stunner: the Golf GTI W12 650 concept. The ultimate GTI in every way, this car has a claimed top speed of 325 km/h -- 201 mph! -- and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) of 3.7 seconds.

This is a pure show car, so don't go running to your VW dealer waving around a fistful of cash. He won't be able to help you. Too bad, though, as this super Golf dishes out a mammoth 650 horsepower and over 530 ft lbs of torque from the 6.0L biturbo W12 it's got mounted behind the front seats. All that juice flows through a 6-speed automatic to the rear wheels, which are shod in some seriously meaty rubber.

Lower and wider than a stock GTI, the body retains the production car's doors, hood and lights, but otherwise it's all new. A number of intakes and a redesigned C-pillar help feed air to the 12-cylinder behemoth supplying the go-power. To keep the car planted to the tarmac, VW didn't want to use a massive spoiler to generate downforce. As such, the car's carbon-fiber roof acts as a giant diffuser that funnels air under the small spoiler at its trailing edge. In summary, the whole thing is a big exercise in the awesome.