Are ED30's future classics?

[GVK]

I too had a couple of RS turbos, a red S2 and the series 1, both sh1t cars really, the series 2 had about 6 gearboxes in 2 years and the series 1 3 engines in a year. As above look at the prices of them nowadays. Madness.

[pudding]

It's just a GTI with different wheels, engine and seats.  Nothing that special imo.

Plus the turbo surely :)

True!  Although it's just a slightly bigger snail that a lot of K03 folk retro fit 

In all seriousness though, what is it about the ED30 that seems to elevate it to God status in GTI and car speculator circles, and indeed the Pirelli?

I don't get it personally.  I only bought mine on the strength of being underwhelmed by both a TT 3.2 DSG and a TT 240 Sport I originally intended to buy, but just happened to spot a black Ed30 lurking in the back corner of the trader's garage.  Test drove it and yeah, that'll do, I'll take it.  Had it been a black 3 dr GTI, I may have bought that as well!

But since buying it, I've driven my mate's regular GTI and it's just as quick up to 60-70ish.  The ED30 only comes into it's own past 80ish, otherwise, same car.  No difference in handling, braking, NVH or much else to be honest. 

I'm not dissing the ED30, I do like it objectively but I just don't get the crazy values over the GTI when it's pretty much the same car underneath the fake eye lashes, mascara and foundation!

[Shoduchi]

True!  Although it's just a slightly bigger snail that a lot of K03 folk retro fit 

In all seriousness though, what is it about the ED30 that seems to elevate it to God status in GTI and car speculator circles, and indeed the Pirelli?

I don't get it personally.  I only bought mine on the strength of being underwhelmed by both a TT 3.2 DSG and a TT 240 Sport I originally intended to buy, but just happened to spot a black Ed30 lurking in the back corner of the trader's garage.  Test drove it and yeah, that'll do, I'll take it.  Had it been a black 3 dr GTI, I may have bought that as well!

But since buying it, I've driven my mate's regular GTI and it's just as quick up to 60-70ish.  The ED30 only comes into it's own past 80ish, otherwise, same car.  No difference in handling, braking, NVH or much else to be honest. 

I'm not dissing the ED30, I do like it objectively but I just don't get the crazy values over the GTI when it's pretty much the same car underneath the fake eye lashes, mascara and foundation!

You get what's different between them better when you fit a TTE420 and run over 400 bhp without needing to forge the internals. It's much faster than any stage 3 K04 GTI.

[colesey]

True!  Although it's just a slightly bigger snail that a lot of K03 folk retro fit 

In all seriousness though, what is it about the ED30 that seems to elevate it to God status in GTI and car speculator circles, and indeed the Pirelli?

I don't get it personally.  I only bought mine on the strength of being underwhelmed by both a TT 3.2 DSG and a TT 240 Sport I originally intended to buy, but just happened to spot a black Ed30 lurking in the back corner of the trader's garage.  Test drove it and yeah, that'll do, I'll take it.  Had it been a black 3 dr GTI, I may have bought that as well!

But since buying it, I've driven my mate's regular GTI and it's just as quick up to 60-70ish.  The ED30 only comes into it's own past 80ish, otherwise, same car.  No difference in handling, braking, NVH or much else to be honest. 

I'm not dissing the ED30, I do like it objectively but I just don't get the crazy values over the GTI when it's pretty much the same car underneath the fake eye lashes, mascara and foundation!

You get what's different between them better when you fit a TTE420 and run over 400 bhp without needing to forge the internals. It's much faster than any stage 3 K04 GTI.

But if you have to do all those mods to find a difference, then it is no longer the same car and the underlying design isn’t any more special, just as Pudding was saying. Much the same as all the road tests suggested back in the day.

[pudding]

Indeed.  Straight line performance is one dimensional.  The rest of the car is identical, ergo, constrained by the same limitations.  The only thing that separates an Edition 30 and a GTI, point to point, is the size of the driver's balls.

[Shoduchi]

But if you have to do all those mods to find a difference, then it is no longer the same car and the underlying design isn’t any more special, just as Pudding was saying. Much the same as all the road tests suggested back in the day.

If I remember correctly, the opinion of the Ed. 30 road tests was mostly that the added power and its progressiveness were a good upgrade. So I’d say that no one needs a normal GTI when you can get an Ed. 30 instead. 

That’s my opinion about the previous gen and the following. I’ve always preferred the anniversary editions. 

[pudding]

I would argue the ED30 looks better, imo, with VW's usual stellar choice in wheels, and the colour coded plastics    As for the power differences, at the 200ps vs 230ps level, the only difference average consumers would notice is a bit more top end shove, and more lag below 3000 rpm as the penalty of a bigger turbo. When remapped, that's when things get interesting. Otherwise the two cars drive exactly the same.

That was then, though.  What the f'ck are VW doing now with the myriad 'editions'?  The Edition 45 is a disgrace!  For the first time since the MK3 Anniversary, there's no additional power or a different engine over the base car, well, the Clubsport in this case. All you get is some sh1tty red striped wheels and 'GTI' emblems on the seats. 

The Edition 50 needs to be REALLY good to make up for the pure marketing nonsense that is the ED45.