Reston, VA — Volkswagen of America will join in the excitement of the first U.S. running of the F.A.T. Ice Race Aspen, a luxury-infused winter motorsport experience taking place February 8-10 in Carbondale, Colorado, about 30 miles northwest of the Aspen ski resort. Volkswagen brand ambassador Tanner Foust will drive the 2024 Volkswagen Golf R in two days of ice racing.

This unique motorsport festival will feature amateur and professional drivers in a roster of 50 specially invited classic and iconic racecars. Each car will take part in demonstration laps or race against the clock. The six quickest will join a face-off to choose the quickest of the day, and the format repeats the second day.

Volkswagen’s participation in the F.A.T. Ice Race Aspen ties into the 50th anniversary of the ground-breaking Golf.  The 1974 Golf spearheaded a product renaissance at Volkswagen and became a template that other automakers adopted for the segment. The Golf GTI model sparked a legacy of driving fun in 1976 that has intensified with each redesign and with the introduction of the R32 in 2002.

The inaugural F.A.T. Ice Race Aspen follows the event in Zell am See, Austria in late January. Rooted in an event that ran from the early 1950s until 1974, this ice race was revived in 2019 by motorsports lifestyle brand F.A.T. International. The Aspen event offers just 500 spectator tickets for the racing and weekend activities.

Golf R Carries VW Motorsport Heritage
The Volkswagen Golf R that Foust will drive on the ice will be factory-stock. Fresh from its preview at CES, the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI joins the F.A.T. Ice Race Aspen as a display vehicle. Volkswagen will also feature a special honored guest, the historic and unique twin-engine 1987 Volkswagen Golf racer that ran in Colorado’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. This punishing 12.4-mile Race to the Clouds® features 156 turns and a finish line at just over 14,000 feet.

2024 Golf R
The Mk8 Golf R is the most powerful production Golf ever. Its 2.0-liter TSI® turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder engine produces 315 horsepower (using premium fuel) at 5,600 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm on DSG-equipped models. (Manual-equipped models produce 315 hp at 5,900 rpm and 280 lb-ft of torque at 1,900 rpm). The DSG transmission incorporates a launch-control feature.

The Golf R’s advanced 4Motion all-wheel drive system can send up to 50 percent of available torque to the rear axle, and a torque-vectoring rear differential can distribute up to 100 percent of the rear torque to an individual wheel in drift mode, designed for track use. The latest DCC® adaptive damping system manages suspension rebound and compression rates individually, helping to improve vehicle dynamics. Standard 19-inch machined aluminum-alloy wheels are fitted with 235/35 summer performance tires.

The 2024 Golf R is available in one fully-equipped trim, with an MSRP of $45,455 (and destination charge of $1,150).

1987 Twin-Engine Golf Returns to Colorado
The F.A.T. Ice Race Aspen will also welcome a luminary from Volkswagen Motorsport history, the twin-engine 1987 Golf. In 1985, Volkswagen built a wild twin-engine Golf racer that took third place at Pikes Peak in the hands of Volkswagen Motorsports rally driver Jochi Kleint. Two years later, VW returned with a second twin-engine Golf built with help from Formula Vee specialists, Kaimann Racing in Austria. The wild racer, built especially for this high-altitude competition, used a riveted aluminum monocoque, Kevlar body panels and pure racecar suspension and transmission.

Power came from front- and rear-mounted dual 1.8-liter GTI engines, which were turbocharged to ensure adequate power as the car ascended the mountain. The engines made a combined output of around 640 horsepower and the car could be driven in front-, rear- or all-wheel-drive form. Unfortunately, a suspension failure ended this super-Golf’s run just three turns from the finish line when in line to break the record, but it remains a favorite among Golf aficionados.

2025 Golf GTI
The 2025 Golf GTI is a facelifted version of the Mk8 Golf that was introduced in 2022 and debuts revised exterior styling, plus easier-to-use multimedia controls, a larger infotainment screen, and hard buttons. Premium sports seats with the GTI’s iconic check pattern signal that the pioneering hot hatch’s original spirit is retained.

The 2025 Golf GTI shows revised front styling with a new bumper and redesigned LED headlights. The rear gets new LED taillight clusters. New wheel designs and exterior colors accentuate the GTI’s design evolution, and a black-painted roof will be available for the first time.

For greater ease-of-use, the 2025 GTI’s D-shape multifunction sport steering wheel gets new buttons replacing touch-capacitive controls for the multimedia and other functions. A larger 12.9-inch center multimedia display uses a new, easier interface and features illuminated slider controls.

Tanner Foust, Volkswagen Brand Ambassador 
Multi-talented motorsports driver Tanner Foust is an ideal Volkswagen brand ambassador. His vast race experience includes open-wheel competition, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, rallycross, sports car racing, and off-road racing. Foust has also served as a stunt driver in some of Hollywood’s most iconic car chase scenes.