Volkswagen Golf GTI

In the early 1970s Volkswagen was becoming dras­tically out-of-step with the rest of the car world. While virtually every other manufacturer had abandoned rear-engined cars as second-best from the point of view of both dynamics and packaging, Volkswagen sol­diered on with a range based entirely on the pre-war Beetle.

However, Ws new partner Audi was already ahead of the game with its range of smart-looking, well-built, front-wheel-drive saloons. Volkswagen took a leaf out of Audi's book and embarked on a spectacular, revolutionary rebirth, in the space of two years, from 1973 to 1975, it launched no less than four all-new front-wheel-drive cars: the Passat, Scirocco, Polo and Golf. Each one of them set new standards in their mar­ket sectors.

The most successful of the quartet was unques­tionably the 1974 Golf. The name, incidentally, does hot derive from the game of 18 holes but Golfstrom, the German word for the ^‘Gulf Stream’. In America, where the new car (рис. 25) would also be manufactured, it was known as the Rabbit.

Рис. 25

The Golf's styling was the brilliantly simple work of Giugiaro's newly-independent team, Ital De-Sign. The packaging was exactly right, the hatchback tail made it extremely practical and the build quality endeared it to a generation of owners who had known only rust and breakdowns.

Some of the engineers at Volkswagen were con­vinced that the car Volkswagen had conceived as a bread-and-butter shopping trolley for the masses could handle much more power. Like the Mini 15 years before it, the balance of the front-wheel-drive Golf was so good that there certainly was plenty of potential to handle it.

The management at the Wolfsburg headquarters was not convinced and would not sanction work on what it saw as an uncommercial product. So, a dedicated band of technicians developed a rather special version of the Golf in their spare time, until the management fi­nally liked what they saw and gave the project the green light.

This was destined to become the GTI. The most important changes happened under the bonnet. The larg­est engine in the intended Golf line-up was a 1588cc unit, due for launch in August 1975. It was to this unit (which developed 75 bhp in standard tune) that the engineers turned. They installed Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and boosted the power up to 110 bhp. The engineers also tweaked the suspension, adding a front anti-roll bar to stiffen it tip, while fat wheels and tyres were specified to sharpen grip.

The marketing department decided on an understated style: the simple clean-cut lines of the Giugiaro original were left unmolested, only a deep chin spoiler, discreet side stripes, a little bit of red trim around the grille and an unassuming ^‘СТI’ badge made the car stand out.

Quite simply, the Golf GTI swept all before it when it was launched in August 1975. It caused a sen­sation with the motoring public who thronged, to own one, even though it took almost a year for deliveries to begin.

In the first four years of the model's life, more than 100, 000 were supplied to customers on the continent. In Britain the GTI was only sold to special order, in left-hand form, for four years. It was not until 1979 that the GTI became available in right-hand drive, by which time the original four-speed gearbox had been replaced by a five-speeder.

British customers soon realised what they'd been missing. The GTI was a genuine firebomb, capable of over 110 mph and 0-60 mph in well under ten seconds.

Moreover, this power was delivered smoothly and reliably. Then there was the handling: it was pin-sharp, predictable and a revelation to a generation of drivers brought up on the Morris Marina or the Ford Capri.

It immediately established a cult following. Other manufacturers could not ignore the rich business VW was doing and soon a swathe of ‘hot hatches'' came chasing at the GTI's heels: the Ford Escort XR3, Opel/Vauxhall Astra GTE, Fiat Strada Abarth and a dozen others. None of them ever quite matched the magic of the original Golf GTI and those three letters came to be synonymous with the new driving subculture: the hot hatch brigade.

Another significant newcomer in 1979 was the Golf Cabriolet. This was actually another brave and pioneering move, for at that time convertibles were very much out of fashion. The engineering and con­struction work was done by the acknowledged masters of the convertible art, Karmann of Osnabruck. Their chop-top was typically Germanic in execution: there was a roll-over bar and a high-stacked hood, to keep as much boot space as possible, although both luggage space and room in the rear seats was at a premium. There was a GTI version of the Cabriolet, which shared the daz­zling dynamics of its hot-hatch brother, though the slightly compromised structure was not as rigid.

Another important derivative of the Golf was the Scirocco, Volkswagen's coupe which shared the Golf platform. Naturally there was a GTI version of this too, mimicking the specification of the Golf but add­ing performance through lighter weight and better aerodynamics, as well as offering attractive coupe styling.

A larger 1760cc engine became standard for the Golf GTI in 1982, which boosted power slightly to 112 bhp. More importantly, the engine had nearly ten per cent more torque available much lower down the rev band. This made the GTI a much more tractable - and a less ‘peaky’ - car to drive than many high-revving rivals. A hotter 139 bhp 16-valve version further ce­mented its desirability.

The Mark 1 Golf was replaced in 1983 by the sec­ond generation, and that in turn by the current Golf in 1991. All the time the GTI badge remained a stub­bornly popular component of the Golf family. Amaz­ingly, the original Golf Mark I bodyshell lasted right up until 1992 in convertible form, when it was finally replaced by the current Golf Cabriolet.

The Mark II is regarded as the best all-rounder, the latest Mk III was criticised for being too fat and heavy - the very opposite to the original. It needed the launch of a V6 engine in the sensational Golf VR6 and a new 16-valve ^‘four' to bring the fun back.

Few would deny that the Golf GTI has passed seamlessly from being the founder and benchmark of the hot hatch school to a widely-accepted classic. Even today it is still entertaining new generations with its delights.

Thousands were imported to Britain, which is good news for the bargain hunter today. The Golf was so well built that many cars lasted the distance where other, more fragile performance cars bit the dust. To­day, the GTI has a wide following and many examples have been restored. All models are desirable but it is the special edition Mk I Campaign model made after August 1983 which is currently the most sought after GTI. Those with simpler needs should head for the Mk II.