40 years of the VW Golf GTI - the often copied original

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40 years of the VW Golf GTI - the often copied original

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Created on April 27, 2016

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Volkswagen / Werk

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Volkswagen Presse

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Bruno von Rotz

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Rétromobile

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Zwischengas Archiv

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Archiv

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - still a pleasure to drive today

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - still an exceptionally handy car even after 40 years

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the fast Wolfsburg model offered this perspective particularly often

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - it feels particularly at home on country roads

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - together with its spiritual successor, the Peugeot 205 GTI

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - Matt black and hardly any chrome on the Golf GTI of the 1980s

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the matt black bumpers were available from 1979

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - a car straight out of the brochure

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - in the sales brochure from back then

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the steering wheel was plastic-coated

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - d_reinhard_golf gti_peugeot gti_16_186

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - it was called the "spittoon" steering wheel because of its recessed shape

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - only the odometer reaching up to 220 km/h was GTI-specific

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - Additional instrument for the oil temperature

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the golf ball as a gearshift knob was also GTI-specific

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the tartan, which was also used again in later generations

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - limited space in the rear, not only towards the front but also upwards

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - no exaggerated luxury, the windows are rolled up by hand

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the injection engine from the Audi 80 GTE

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the famous GTI badge soon also adorned many a "normal" Golf

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - delivered as standard on steel rims, tire size ex works was 175/70 HR 13

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - even the side stripes were GTI-specific

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - classic door handles

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the GTI sign at the rear, also visible is the black edging of the rear window, which was GTI-specific

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - the three letters of desire

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - labeled on the left like any other Golf

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - pre-production example, note the typeface of the GTI emblem

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VW Golf GTI (1978) - the original GTI and father of all GTIs

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - during the press test drives at the Hockenheimring

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - the wolf in sheep's clothing

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - the GTI was initially only available in two colors - red and silver

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - pre-production vehicle

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - still with the pre-series GTI badge

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - when cornering at speed, the rear wheel on the inside of the bend sometimes lifts off the ground

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Steering wheel and dashboard

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Interior of the sportiest Golf

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Seats with checked pattern and good lateral support

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - packed engine compartment

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VW Golf GTI (1975) - the Golf is equipped with a 110 hp injection engine, thus creating a new vehicle segment - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1975

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - Acceleration diagram compared to the Golf LS

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VW Scirocco (1977) - The Scirocco is somewhat flatter and more aerodynamic than its Golf GTI brother

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VW Golf GTI (1978) - the famous lettering

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VW Golf GTI (1977) - still without navigation system, map reading was the order of the day

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VW Golf GTI - Eklund cross-country in the VW Golf GTI at the 1980 Monte Carlo Rally

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VW Golf GTI (1977) - at home on country roads

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - a facelift with new bumpers after a few years

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - already with the black bumpers

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - already with round bumpers

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - Rear view of the model-maintained GTI

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VW Golf GTI (1980) - now with the black-wrapped bumpers

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VW Golf GTI (1985) - 191 km/h fast and also with disc brakes on the rear axle

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VW Golf GTI (1986) - the fast version of the second Golf series

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - celebrating 40 years of the Golf GTI - Techno Classica 2016

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - alongside its successors (Techno Classica 2013)

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - at the Techno Classica 2013, together with its successors

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VW Golf GTI (1976) - at the Rétromobile 2016

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VW Golf GTI special model Pirelli (1983) - with special rims

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VW Golf GTI special model Pirelli (1983) - with special rims and often ordered in black

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VW Golf GTI special model Pirelli (1983) - with special rims

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VW Golf GTI special model Pirelli (1983) - Interior of the eighties

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VW Golf GTI special model Pirelli (1983) - together with the Golf 5 GTI from 2007

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VW Golf (1990) - the GTI of the third Golf generation, before variants of the Mk2 and Mk1

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VW Golf GTI Mk1 (1978) - and Volkswagen GTI of the year 2013

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VW Citi (2000) - the Golf built in South Africa for a long time

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VW Citi (2000) - the Golf built in South Africa for a long time

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Summary

Everyone knows it, it became the progenitor of a new class of car, the VW Golf GTI, developed and produced by the Volkswagen company, which until shortly before was known mainly as the builder of the VW Beetle and a few less successful successors. The GTI was able to keep up with many a sports car that was several times more expensive and could easily be used in everyday life. This made it a trendsetter, and its imitators have continued into the modern era. This driving report, illustrated with current and historical images, aims to find out just how good the original introduced 40 years ago was.

This article contains the following chapters

Modular product
A new class of car
Presentation at the IAA in 1975
Not cheap, but affordable
Loved almost from the start
Evolution in small steps
Tuner and motorsport delights
A rarity
Here they come!

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Everyone knows it, it became the progenitor of a new class of car, the VW Golf GTI, developed and produced by the Volkswagen company, which until shortly before was mainly known as the builder of the VW Beetle and a few less successful successors and which had presented a practical but not extremely sporty compact car with a tailgate in 1974 with the Golf. And then this GTI was presented at the IAA in Frankfurt in the fall of 1975, what a surprise! However, Volkswagen did not invent as much as one might think in retrospect. The designation "GTI" had already existed before and, as with the Golf, it also stood for "Gran Turismo Injezione", only at the beginning of the 1960s at Maserati. The Golf was not a Gran Turismo in the conventional sense anyway, because the term was actually used to describe a fast sports coupé.

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