By Antti Kautonen
Volkswagen’s stand at Techno Classica was expectedly GTI-heavy, as they celebrated the Golf GTI’s 40th anniversary. The ’76 GTI was represented by a Dutch example, the very first GTI to be registered in that country. It wasn’t nannied, but served as a dealership demo car and ended up in the need of complete restoration – that was done over a two-year period, and reportedly performed using parts made available by Volkswagen’s Classic Parts department. Can’t have come cheap.
A GTI like this looks so very simple and light, and the silver colour just emphasises that.
As for the second generation GTI, Volkswagen wheeled out a rally car from a decade later. Great colour scheme, and if the front bumper sags, it’s probably because of all those floodlights!
This is the image VW used to note the Mk3’s representation at Techno Classica, and the car at the show was a 110-horsepower TDI version with GTI trim. Quote unquote:
On the 20th anniversary of the GTI, Volkswagen surprised the GTI fan base with a special edition – and with a particularly sporty direct-injection diesel. This four-cylinder TDI was the most powerful of its kind at the time and delivered 110 horsepower in the GTI – exactly the same as the original Golf GTI. The special edition remained in the line-up until 1997 and was reminiscent of the original GTI with its numerous equipment details.
Quite. Nice BBS wheels!
And I guess you can see a lot of the current Golf face in this GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo, that also made it to the show. It’s come amazingly far from the 1976 Golf GTI.
Bradley Brownell
A few pals had Mk1 GTIs that’d let us drive. At one point, they were going for $500US. We’d drive them too…
I bought a Mk2 16v in the 90s after driving a pal’s and loved it. Kept it long enough to have to buy a engagement ring.
That pal with the Mk2 sold it and later found another and did the Passat VR6 transplant. That car is bonkers. A few pals still have new GTIs and track them pretty often. I ended up with the Focus ST.
A Golf GTi rebuilt using only new parts from VW Classic Parts Department?
Only a VW dealer could afford that.
But that bonnet/hood leading edge height/shutline above the grille really needs to be sorted. That gap is too wide and uneven and spoils the look. These are German cars, not Italian.
The US built spec did a little better with the hood shut line.
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