Volkswagen preparing track-ready GTI Clubsport?

Volkswagen could launch an even more powerful version of the GTI Clubsport, a new report coming out of England finds.

Inspired by the Porsche 911 GT3 Clubsport, the yet-unnamed model will be aimed primarily at buyers who want to hit the track. It will be based on the GTI Clubsport that was launched at last year’s Frankfurt Auto Show to celebrate the GTI’s 40th anniversary, but it will gain an evolution of the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine tuned to deliver 295 horsepower — 30 more than the car it’s based on — and 280 lb-ft. of torque. British magazine Autocar reports that Volkswagen is testing both a six-speed manual transmission and six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Not content with simply adding more power, Volkswagen has removed the Clubsport’s rear bench and tossed out a good deal of the sound-deadening material in order to shed weight. When all is said and done, the track-ready version of the Clubsport reaches 62 mph from a stop in less than 5.7 seconds.

Volkswagen executives are split on whether or not to build the car because they’re worried about how an all-out performance car will be received in the wake of the Dieselgate scandal. Autocar has learned that the car will be shown to the public as a concept at the annual Wörthersee show in May to see how fans react to it. If it’s built, production will likely be limited to less than 100 examples.