If you were disappointed by VW’s decision not to shoehorn its potent 3.6L V6 into the Golf then you’ll be glad to hear German company HGP has gone ahead and done it. However, not content with the 300hp output of the naturally aspirated mill, the tuner has added a pair of turbochargers and boosted power to a supercar-rivaling 640hp (477kW). That’s as much power as VW’s own Golf GTI W12 650 concept car, which relied on a 6.0L W12 engine for its numbers.

The car is based on the AWD R32, already a strong performer thanks to its torquey 3.2L engine, but with 640hp available from the uprated biturbo 3.6L unit this model takes performance to another level. Testing of HDA’s previous Bi-Turbo Golf R36, which only had 600hp, saw the car reach a top speed of 202mph (327km/h) and accelerate to 174mph (280km/h) in an amazing 23.5 seconds at Nardo’s high speed test track last year. The 0-62mph (100km/h) dash took a brief 3.8 seconds but we suspect the latest 640hp version will be able to shave a few tenths of that mark.

If you don’t find hatchbacks particularly appealing, HGP also offers its kit for the Passat sedan and Touareg SUV as well.