German customers have snapped up the €76,410 (A$123,890) Volkswagen Golf R 333 Limited Edition in just eight minutes, according to the brand’s head office.
In a tweet sent out shortly after the special edition’s release, the company confirmed all 333 units of the most exclusive and expensive VW Golf ever were sold out within minutes of the bright yellow hot hatch being made available to customers.
“That was superfast! Within only 8 minutes, all 333 units of the #VWGolf R 333 are already sold out!” the company’s news distribution account posted on Twitter.
Priced at a whopping €76,410 (A$123,890), the 2023 Volkswagen Golf R 333 Limited Edition is roughly €20,000 more than a standard Golf R in Germany, and some €10,000 dearer than the base price for an Audi RS3 Sportback.
Even more surprising, perhaps, is that the special-edition Golf is within touching distance of the Porsche 718 Cayman S in its home country, which starts from €77,035. In Australia, the Cayman S is priced from $160,100 before on-road costs.
As the name suggests, the special edition Golf R will be limited to 333 units and is distinguished from other variants of the brand’s all-wheel drive hot hatch via its eye-catching Lime Yellow Metallic paint and black exterior accents.
It’s also powered by the uprated 245kW/420Nm version of the brand’s 2.0 TSI four-cylinder petrol engine like the Golf R 20 Years, up 10kW on the standard model in Europe and 20Nm up on Australian versions of the Golf R Hatch which do without a petrol particulate filter (PPF).
Volkswagen quotes a 0-100km/h time of 4.6 seconds.
Beyond the bright yellow paintwork and uprated engine tune, the Golf R 333 Limited Edition gets a numbered build plaque on the dashboard, an Akrapovic R Performance exhaust with titanium rear silencers, 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels shod in semi-slick tyres, and a top speed increased to 270km/h.
Inside there’s Nappa leather upholstery and real carbon-fibre inlays like the 20 Years Edition, as well as a nine-speaker harman/kardon premium audio system.
“It is the first Volkswagen R model with a strict limitation to 333 units and with a sequentially numbered badge in the interior,” said Hakim Halimi, head of product marketing at Volkswagen R.
Volkswagen R says its hot hatch staple has reached “cult status”, with 250,000 vehicles ordered since the first R32 was launched in 2002.
While Australia will miss out on the 333 Limited Edition, VW’s local division is gearing up to launch the Golf R 20 Years in even fewer numbers – with just 50 units available when orders open on July 13.
Like the 333 Limited Edition, the Golf R 20 Years scores the 245kW/420Nm engine tune with turbocharger pre-loading, the Akrapovic titanium exhaust system, as well as carbon-fibre interior trim inlays.
32 Lapiz Blue and 18 Pure White examples will distributed via the brand’s national dealer network, priced from $77,490 plus on-road costs – or $10,500 more than the standard Golf R Hatch.
Volkswagen Australia says that to the end of the first quarter of this year, some 19,833 units across the Golf R32 and R generations across hatchback and wagon body styles have been delivered in Australia over 20 years, with the 20,000 milestone expected later this year.
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