261bhp VW Golf GTI is on the way

Next year the Golf GTI turns 40. VW is pretty good at launching anniversary editions of its hot hatch, and the big four-zero looks set to be marked in similar fashion.

Those birthday specials have a past history of being really rather good, too, detail improvements and flourishes perking up an already capable car just nicely.

While VW has thus far only revealed sketched images and a teasing handful of information, the latest iteration doesn't look to buck that trend. It will be revealed later this week as a ‘GTI Clubsport' concept at VW's Wörthersee festival.

And it has more power, for starters. A 2.0-litre turbo four continues to power the front wheels, but with 261bhp representing a healthy rise over the 227bhp you'll find in VW's most powerful current GTI. There's also talk of an overboost function that lifts output by 10 per cent, though whether this applies to power or torque isn't yet clear.

There are body mods aplenty, too, and with aerodynamics driving them as much as aesthetics. Its roof spoiler is described as ‘highly innovative' while there's a bespoke rear diffuser and side skirts, too. We also spy some dive plane-esque touches up front.

VW talks of ‘significantly improved downforce', and motorsport-inspired driving dynamics yielding ‘breathtaking cornering speeds'. The regular Golf GTI is sharp but relatively sane in the increasingly banzai hot hatch arena, so we're intrigued to discover just how focused these tweaks will feel. Expect the Clubsport badge to morph into a GTI Edition 40 badge so that the model fits neatly with the naming structure of its celebratory forebears.

It won't be the nuttiest Golf you can buy, though. The 400bhp-plus Golf R lies in the production plan, a road-going version of the R400 concept we saw last year almost certain.

Given the regular GTI and R will continue service, it's unclear quite how neatly all these Golfs will fit together. But with the hot hatch genre reasonably diverse nowadays - and Renaultsport's hardcore Meganes plus the new Civic Type-R and AWD Focus RS to fight - it appears VW wants a car to defeat every possible rival.

Will this put the Megane 265 and Cupra 280 in their places?