VW Golf GTI Dark Shine concept at Wörthersee 2015

Looks great, doesn’t it? Revealed at the 34th Wörthersee GTI meeting in Austria, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Dark Shine is the work of 13 apprentices from Volkswagen and Sitech Sitztechnik, a VW subsidiary specialising in the development and production of vehicle seats.

The 395 PS Golf GTI Dark Shine is a three-door with a two-tone colour scheme. The front is painted in dark Daytona Grey Metallic and the rear in R-yellow pearl effect. Dark front + bright rear = Dark Shine, geddit? Two offset arrow-shaped stripes run over the bonnet and roof, while more stripes and arrows on the sides provide accents. Dark Shine was entirely hand-painted, then sanded down and polished several times.

The cabin follows suit. The Recaro leather bucket seats are in Daytona Grey and black carbon leather, with yellow for the GTI logos, seams and trim on the Alcantara steering wheel, instrument cluster surrounds/needles and air con vents.

At Wörthersee, a high-performance sound system is essential. This car features a 3,500 watt system with eight speakers in the cabin and three subwoofers in the boot. The central subwoofer is lit by LEDs and partially glassed in. The amplifier, which also features lighting, is recessed in the floor of the trunk under a glass cover, all controlled from a tablet.

Under the hood is a modified 2.0 litre TSI engine with 395 PS and 487 Nm of torque available at 4,700 rpm. The stainless steel exhaust system with enlarged tailpipes is hand-crafted. The Dark Shine also features a carbon air box, while the intercooler and control units for the engine and DSG gearbox have been adapted.

Last fall, the 13 apprentices received a body in white in Wolfsburg; and over a period of around nine months, made visual and technical mods to create their dream GTI. Aged 17 to 25, the budding vehicle paint technicians (2), vehicle interior fitters (4), automotive mechatronics technicians (4), media designers (1) and process technicians specialising in plastics and rubber engineering (2) planned almost every step themselves, exchanged ideas and tried them out.

“By working on the Wörthersee GTI project, our apprentices learn about the complexity of automobile production. The project offers especially talented young people an opportunity to learn from experienced colleagues from the entire company at an early stage,” said Dr. Stefan Kreher, Head of Volkswagen Vocational Training.

Since 2008, Europe’s biggest carmaker has offered its best apprentices the opportunity to expand their specialist knowledge and to demonstrate their creativity and teamwork capabilities on projects like the Wörthersee GTI.

The Golf GTI Dark Shine is the eighth apprentice GTI to make its world debut in Reifnitz, after the Golf GTI Performance (2008), Golf GTI Street (2009), Golf GTI Yellow Pearl (2010), Golf GTI Reifnitz (2011), Golf GTI Black Dynamic (2012), Golf GTI Cabrio Austria (2013) and Golf GTI Wolfsburg Edition (2014).

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.