The Volkswagen Golf GTI celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2021. Produced from 1976, the first generation of the "Sport Golf" laid the foundation for what is still the world's most successful compact sports car. But the GTI had already sparked euphoria before that: Dennis Weber, a member of the team at the ZeitHaus automobile museum at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg, caught a glimpse of the future Volkswagen icon even before its market launch. It was immediately clear to him: "It's a dream car that I would like to own myself one day." Little did he know at the time that this wish would come true and that "his GTI" would one day become part of the ZeitHaus collection.
The unexpected often happens
But everything happened one after the other: Dennis Weber's enthusiasm came completely unexpectedly in the middle of the night. His father - then a test driver at Volkswagen - stopped off at home on his way to a test track. Woken up by his father, he made his way to the truck with its valuable load: "I can still remember the exact moment when the rear doors opened and I saw the Golf GTI disguised as a prototype for the first time. From then on, I was fascinated by this car."
His wish to own this "original GTI" one day came true around 20 years later. "I happened to be in Braunschweig and saw 'my car' driving past me - its condition wasn't really good, but I wanted to own exactly this model with this equipment and in this color. I drove after the car until the driver asked me what was wrong with me," Weber recalls with a grin. "I explained that I was interested in her GTI and would be happy to buy it." No sooner said than done: an agreement was reached and Weber's dream became reality - he was the proud owner of a white 1978 Golf I GTI.
The way to the ZeitHaus
First, however, a lot of work awaited Weber, because "there was no talk of a gem at the time. It was due for a complete renovation. With a lot of time and love, I managed to spruce it up again within three years". The extensive restoration of the GTI prompted the Volkswagen employee magazine "autogramm" to write an article about it.
This article caught the attention of the Autostadt, which opened in 2000 and was planning an exhibition on "25 years of the Golf GTI" in the ZeitHaus at the time - with Dennis Weber and the freshly restored Golf I GTI as part of the presentation. From there, everything took its course quite quickly: "The Autostadt expressed the wish to buy back 'my car'. After much deliberation, I agreed - with tears in my eyes, but above all with a smile, because I could never have imagined that my car would one day end up in the museum."
Since then, Dennis Weber's white 1978 Golf I GTI - one of the first with a sunroof and one of the last with a steel bumper - has been part of the ZeitHaus collection as an automotive milestone.
Eternal love
In addition to the classics presented in the ZeitHaus, the Autostadt's collection includes numerous automotive treasures that are not always accessible to the public. Together with other colleagues, Dennis Weber takes care of their maintenance and also that of "his GTI": "Our vehicle depot is a retreat for special cars. Here they receive daily care and lots of love so that we can enjoy them for a long time to come."
The GTI is still used in rallies today. For Weber, it is a wonderful and at the same time indescribable feeling to still see and drive it regularly: "The vehicle is a contemporary witness to Volkswagen's success story. Especially when I look at photos from the past, the memories come flooding back. Even if the papers are no longer in my hand, this GTI is and remains my eternal love."
