If you think the Volkswagen Golf Mark VI is on its way out, stepping aside after ageing gracefully to make way for the next seventh-generation model at the, you’re both right and wrong.
The Paris Motor Show in less than four week’s time will set the scene for the global premiere of the new Golf MkVII, but our spy sends us photos that prove that the MkVI still has some legs left in it.
The insert photograph on the right shows an undisguised Golf R Cabrio testing at the Nürburgring without bothering with any camouflage and proudly showing off his R badges. Could it be a mule for the MkVII?
Hardly, because VW already teased us with hot Golf Cabs at the annual Wörthersee fan-fest. Bound to become Wolfsburg’s fastest-ever drop-top, the 2.0-litre turbo engine will deliver close to 270 horsepower in Europe but more like 255bhp in our Middle-East spec.
Expect VW to rush this one into the showrooms before the Golf VII (left) shows up
in this camouflaged R trim. These are the first details of the next Golf R, showing off the new exhaust mimicking the pipes on the Audi S3 — with which it shares its new lightweight MQB architecture, and powertrain, meaning all-wheel drive and up to 300bhp.
