Not too long ago, there were talks of Volkswagen offering the upcoming 2012 Golf GTI 35th Anniversary Edition as an American model. It appears that Volkswagen of America has made the decision not to import the special edition package that celebrates the GTI’s 35th German birthday. The true, honest-to-goodness reason as to why may never be known, but there are thoughts. The largest and most likely is because the GTI will not be celebrating 35 years in the United States, but rather 30. This would require a name change that apparently VW of America simply did not want to deal with.
Even though the 35th will not be making an American appearance, some of its special bits will be found on other GTI’s. The special 18 inch “Watkins Glen” wheels and the dimpled, golf-ball like shift knob will be able to entice U.S. buyers fairly soon. But despite those trick items, the 35th’s most special party piece will not make its way over: its 235 horsepower, euro-spec turbocharged engine.
