THE AVAILABILITY of a six-speed manual gearbox is a headline feature in the newly released Golf GTI 40 Years edition, but you can’t get one yet, and almost all of the 100 manual ‘boxed units allocated to Australia are already sold.

The high-powered, 500-only limited edition Golf is available in dealers now, but manual versions won’t arrive until September. By then, it’s expected that every one of them will have a buyer’s name and a deposit against it.

VW Golf GTI 40 Years Manual rear

This makes the 40 Years, which features the same electronically controlled mechanical LSD, big brakes and other track-focussed features as the GTI Performance – but with a superior power-to-weight than even the R – a uniquely appealing proposition.

VW Golf GTI 40 Years Manual driving

If you want one, says Volkswagen Group Australia spokesperson Paul Pottinger, “get in now.”