VOLKSWAGEN has unveiled a unique design study capable of topping 200mph to feature at the largest GTI festival in Europe this week.

The GTI W12-650 mates a Golf GTI three-door bodyshell to a bespoke mid-mounted bi-turbo W12 650PS engine channelling drive to the rear wheels.

Not only is it the most powerful Golf ever produced by Volkswagen but it's also the fastest. The sprint from standstill to 62mph takes 3.7 seconds.

A potential maximum speed of 201.8mph is made possible through a 70mm lower ride height and the extensive use of under-floor aerodynamic aids, including a diffuser negating the need for a large rear wing to keep the vehicle pinned to the ground at very high speeds.

At the vehicle's heart is a bespoke mid-mounted W12 engine linked to a pair of turbochargers. In order to make the installation possible Volkswagen engineers created a unique aluminium subframe onto which the engine could be mounted.

The engine's cooling systems are fed by a pair of side-mounted cooling vents placed in the airflow just ahead of the rear wheels.

The 5,998cc W12 engine is an evolution of the 450PS version fitted to the Phaeton. The engine is made from aluminium to reduce weight further and features four valves per cylinder and two overhead camshafts per cylinder head.

Extremely compact in design, measuring only 513mm long, 715mm high and 710mm wide, it's effectively made up of a pair of narrow-angle V6 engines laid alongside each other. The engine is linked to a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission.

With the pair of turbochargers, power rises to 650PS at 6,000rpm while peak torque is capped at 553lb/ft delivered at 4,500rpm making it more than three times more powerful than the conventional Golf GTI.

A 160mm gain in width over the standard GTI is designed to accommodate the mid-mounted engine, bespoke drivetrain and the side-mounted cooling systems.

The roof is made of carbon fibre and features an integrated cooling scoop to channel air into the rear-mounted radiators. The redesigned floating rear pillars further aid the cooling systems to feed air into the engine.

The purposeful new stance is further emphasised by a set of 19in wheels styled to mimic the standard wheels fitted to the Golf GTI but, in the case of the GTI W12-650 wrapped in 295-profile tyres to aid traction.

The GTI W12-650 is a bespoke design study built by Volkswagen to mark the annual GTI festival in Worthersee, Austria. The event, the biggest of its kind in Europe, sees fans congregate to pay homage to the GTI, now in its fifth generation and celebrating its 30th anniversary in the UK.