Volkswagen Built A 1,000-Horsepower Mega Golf, But It Didn't End Well

The Mega Golf is a wild GTI purpose-built for hill climb competition.

It replaces the stock 2.0-liter engine with Audi’s turbocharged inline-five.

Teething issues cut short its competitive debut, resulting in an early retirement.

Volkswagen has built some wicked Golfs over the years, including one with a W12 engine sending power to the rear wheels and another with a twin-turbo V6 and no roof. While most of these outlandish one-offs came during the glorious Ferdinand Piëch era, when everything seemed possible and budgets appeared unlimited, the wild builds are far from over.

Before the "most spectacular Golf R to date" competes in next year’s Nürburgring 24-hour race, another outrageous race car has emerged. Built by Volkswagen Motorsport and Michael Allers for hill climb events, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill Golf. It’s based on a GTI, but the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has made way for Audi’s 2.5-liter inline-five.