Cars with manual transmissions are, in the eyes of many, a dying breed. And now Volkswagen has built the latest Golf GTI.
The last Volkswagen Golf GTI with manual transmission, potentially the world's last of its kind from the factory, has now been sold in the United States.
The buyer of the last Golf GTI with a manual gear lever is Jamie Orr, who claims to be something of a VW enthusiast himself.
– It is different from all similar cars of the model built after it.
His commitment to the brand is underlined by the fact that he drives almost 600 kilometers just to pick up the car from the dealer.
A source at Volkswagen confirms to the media outlet Motor1 that the Golf GTI in question was produced and sold in Montana, USA. And that the car is also the last factory-new GTI with a manual transmission.
It marks the end of an era for sporty manual transmission models from Volkswagen, but some car brands are holding on for a while longer.
However, BMW has confirmed that the current M2 will also be the last of their performance cars with a manual transmission.
The car was picked up at the Volkswagen dealership in Missoula, Montana, without any major incident.
Volkswagen had chosen not to organize a commemoration of the event, as production of the manual Golf GTI ceased.
The specific car is a GTI 380, a special edition launched in 2023. The model can be recognized by its black seats, black roof and manual gearbox. The car is equipped with a four-cylinder engine that produces 241 horsepower.
Future buyers of a new Golf GTI will no longer have the option of choosing a manual transmission. The model will now only be available with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission – also known as DSG.
A gear that was actually developed for the top model in the Golf series R32. That was all the way back in 2003. And even though it's been many years, Volkswagen still doesn't have the technology fully under control.
Last year, Hans-Ole Andersen wrote to the Boosted editorial team when his local Volkswagen repair shop wanted an insane amount of money to change the gearbox in an otherwise almost new car. Read more about that case here .
