Volkswagen Golf R Launch Edition Sold Out In Less Than 12 Hours

There is no doubt that many Volkswagen and hot-hatch enthusiasts had their calendars marked for January 8th, 2015, which is when the pre-order process opened up for the 2016 VW Golf R . That is because when the online order process started at 12:01 a.m., it took less than 12 hours for all 500 special-edition units to be spoken for as announced by Volkswagen on Twitter.

Laying down your hard-earned $500 (fully refundable) deposit put you in line to be one of the first in the U.S. to be seen in the new Golf R, but you still have to come up with the remaining balance, which is $39,090 and does not include the $820 destination and delivery charge. Even then, VW points out, though, that “dealers set the actual price, which may exceed the MSRP” or worse, VW “cannot guarantee that a dealer will sell the vehicle to you at all.”

All of the special Launch Edition Golf R models will be the same painted in the Lapiz Blue Metallic paint and equipped with 19-inch Cadiz light-alloy wheels, a DSG dual clutch gearbox, DCC adaptive damping and a navigation system. As an added bonus, these buyers will also get an exclusive R-branded watch, two keychains (one stainless steel and the other carbon fiber) and a serialized certificate to go with that particular car’s VIN.

If you weren’t one of these lucky 500, don’t fret. Since the deposit was refundable, there is a good possibility that some of the potential buyers may back out, and in that case, VW also has a waiting list in case spots open up.

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Volkswagen Polo R WRC 2015

Introduced for the 2013 racing season, the Polo R WRC is Volkswagen’s first WRC-spec factory car since the 1990 Golf Rallye G60. Based on the road-going Polo, the first-gen R WRC was built to second-generation World Rally Car regulations and powered by a turbocharged, 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine. The Polo went on to win its maiden WRC season in 2013, putting an end to Citroen’s fantastic five-year run. In 2014, Volkswagen Motorsport shattered its competitors for the second time running, defending both its drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles. For 2015, the Germans are set to tackle the World Rally Championship with a revised iteration of the Polo R WRC, one that has "undergone intense further development, both on the inside and the outside," according to Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, Volkswagen Board Member for Technical Development.

In all, nearly three quarters of last year’s components were optimized, while the already traditional white livery has been replaced with a more complex blue-and-white paint scheme.

While the supermini received significant updates, the team’s operating it remained unchanged for the 2015 season. The No. 1 car will be driven by two-time WRC champions Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, while the No. 2 Polo retains its Finnish crew consisting of Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila. The season debuts on January 22nd with the Monte Carlo Rally and comes to an end on November 15th with the Wales Rally. This year’s WRC includes 13 events in 13 countries and four continents.

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