Happy birthday Golf GTI: it’s the new Clubsport 45

Welcome to the latest special edition Golf GTI, this time in honour of the model’s 45th anniversary. Set to go on sale in the UK in April for less than £40,000, it’s mechanically identical to the regular Clubsport (which, as we know, is the GTI you really want).

That means you’re looking at 296bhp from the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, front-wheel drive, a twin-clutch auto box and uprated underpinnings versus the standard GTI.

Besides the red-rimmed 19-inch gloss black alloys, black roof & spoiler and ‘45’ logos, the Clubsport 45 gets something called the ‘Race Package’. This gives you a fruity Akrapovic exhaust and, interestingly, deletes the 155mph limiter for a higher, so far undisclosed top speed.

Inside you get GTI lettering on the front seats plus another ‘45’ logo on the steering wheel.

VW has been doing commemorative editions of the Golf GTI since its 20th anniversary way back in 1996. Our favourite so far is the Clubsport Edition 40, based on the Mk7 Golf GTI and released in 2016. Reckon this one will change our mind?