Once upon a time, a German car company had a lovely little three-door coupe/hatchback named after a wind that sweeps across the Sahara to the Mediterranean. It was called the Scirocco.

But like wind, its effect was fleeting, passing by and leaving little evidence of its existence. For buyers keen for a performance-oriented three-door to fill the gap left by the Scirocco, there’s this - the Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance Edition 1 - which arrives with the wind in its sails… albeit for just 150 owners in the country.

This model harks back to the good old days when Golf GTI models were better known as three-door cars - that was the original form, but this generation Golf 7.5 version has a lot more going for it.

It has more power than the regular GTI and a serious focus on sporty performance, only comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission, has some additional spec highlights, and even comes with a mad little loot bag full of goodies from VW’s merchandise cupboard.

So, is this ultra-rare new three-door Golf a breath of fresh air, or just a lot of hot air?

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