ONE-OFF GETS IT ON; VW BlueSport roadster is ready to leap from concept to showroom.(NEWS)

Byline: GREG KABLE

The old red Volks-wagen Golf GTI screams to a halt. Before we know what's happening, its young driver leaps out and is firing questions in a broad southern German accent. We're pretty sure it went something like this: "How much? When? What engine? It was all we could do to stop the guy from jumping into the empty seat next to us.

Still, you can't blame him for getting a little excited. Right now, there is only one Volks-wagen BlueSport in existence, and apart from its unveiling at the Detroit auto show in Jan-uary, this is the only time it has been allowed in public.

Originally conceived as a one-off concept car, the compact mid-engine roadster has an internal development code name, raising hopes that it will go into production as a spiritual successor to the 914, the mid-engine roadster that VW developed and Porsche sold.

The BlueSport was developed in a back-to-basics approach, with an emphasis on simplicity and low weight. At its heart is a new mid-engine platform that VW says should allow it to bring the BlueSport to showrooms starting at about $30,000, depending on what engine it decides to put in back.

At the moment, the rear-wheel-drive concept rolls with VW's 168-hp, 2.0-liter, common-rail diesel four-cylinder and a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox with shift paddles on the steering wheel.

Other engines are under consideration for production, says Mario Fabiano, the car's project leader. They include the 265-hp, 2.0-liter, turbocharged, gasoline direct-injection four recently confirmed for the Scirocco R. Can you say junior Boxster?