The new Golf GTI Cabrio Austria with 333 PS has been unveiled by apprentices at Vauxhall.
Individuals from Wolfsburg and Osnabruck have worked together on the joint project – the first time this has ever been the case.
It was also the first time Volkswagen apprentices have designed a Cabriolet for the annual GTI Festival at Lake Worthersee in Austria.
A total of 13 apprentices – drawn from four professions – collaborated on the project, which resulted in the successful construction of a two-seater in the Austrian national colours of red and white.
The automobile has now been shown to GTI fans from across the planet at the GTI Festival – and could be of particular interest to motorists checking out the latest Volkswagen
deals with a view to making a purchase in the future.
Collaborating for a year on the project were vehicle interior fitters, paint technicians, mechatronics technicians and technical model makers – nine of whom were male and four female, with all being aged 17 to 23.
They were tasked with redesigning a standard Golf GTI Cabriolet to their own specification – and the 2.0-litre engine producing 333 PS was what they were able to come up with.
Kevin Hoffmann, a trainee automotive mechatronics technician, said: "I've learned a lot about project work – and how important teamwork is."
For the Cabriolet, the team opted for an Orynx white mother of pearl effect, while Flash Red stripes adorn the border of the bonnet on both its left and red sides, in addition to running down the length of the vehicle from front wheel to back.
Inside the car, the group included black, red and white Recaro sports seats, accompanied by red Austria embroidering, decorative trim in red and white and GTI lettering positioned on the doors.
The new design comes after Volkswagen's seventh-generation Golf was recently named winner of the best family car and overall car category in Telegraph Motoring's inaugural Car of the Year awards.
Find more Volkswagen deals at Cars2buy
Posted by George Davis