Every year, Volkswagen unveils a barrage of concept cars at the Wörthersee GTI love-fest in Austria. Since 2008, that's included at least one car built by a group of apprentices. This year, two groups of trainees turned up with a modified GTI and Golf R Variant wagon.

The GTI is called Heartbeat and was built over a period of about nine months. It was designed by a team of 12 apprentices aged between 20 and 26. They are currently training with VW in a variety of vocational areas. The group started with a stock two-door GTI and made a host of modifications, including boosting output to 395 horsepower.

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In addition to increasing the power of the turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, the team gave the exterior a bit more attitude. The Heartbeat is painted silver, with contrasting dark gray foil covering the front end. It also sports a body kit and 20-inch BBS alloy wheels.

Volkswagen Golf Variant Performance 35 concept Wörthersee 2016

Volkswagen Golf Variant Performance 35 concept Wörthersee 2016

The interior includes front bucket seats from the new GTI Clubsport S decorated with "40" emblems, signifying the GTI's 40th anniversary. The seats' special trim is repeated on the door panels. The rear seats were thrown out to make room for a 1,360-watt, seven-speaker sound system.

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Alongside the GTI Heartbeat, a group of apprentices from the VW Sachsen factory in Zwickau, Germany, unveiled the Golf R Variant Performance 35. The Variant is a wagon version of the Golf that is sold as the SportWagen in the U.S.

This particular version boasts 344 hp, and a 2,500-watt, 12-speaker sound system installed in the cargo area. The exterior sports a red-and-silver color scheme that is repeated on the interior trim.

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