The Leader of the Pack: Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mks 1 and 2)

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The Leader of the Pack: Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mks 1 and 2)

Post by problem son »

I have recently had a huge sort-out of my car books and took many of them to a local charity shop. There were so many that the weight probably exceeded that of three fully grown persons, and I could almost hear the floor in my room emit a sigh of relief and move a centimetre of two upwards in the process. I decided to get rid of books that were too general as well as those which were concerned with aspects of motoring and racing that I am unlikely to be interested in anytime soon.

One book which has remained on my shelves is a fascinating volume entitled, Hot Hatchbacks: The successful model design of the 1980s." Given that the book was published in 1987, the author, William Kimberley, might seem to have been a bit premature in writing a whole book on the 80s hot hatch scenario even before the decade was out. One thing he was quite right about though was the immediate importance of the Golf GTI, and since the launch of that long-lived model and its variants, the GTI is still at the head of the hot hatch format with every new version of the GTI being eagerly anticipated by car journalists and motoring public alike. Also, the competing manufacturers worldwide still looks towards the Golf as being a car to look toward with ideas of equaling or beating it at its own game.

It is no accident then that in Hot Hatches by William Kimberley, the introduction features the Golf GTI and is placed adjacent to a full page picture of original car. I must just insert a little note at this point to reveal that I have followed modern convention (and the GTI badge) in calling the car the Golf GTI, while some other sources, including Kimberley, give the designation, GTi.

Writing in his introduction, in 1987, Kimberly says that, "It is but 10 short years since the original Golf GTi made its first public appearance, but in that time, it has carved out not only for itself, but for its followers and imitators, a whole new area for their manufacturers to chase sales and gain macho kudos."

The idea of the hatchback as it emerged, as early as the middle 1950s, was inspired by a pioneering new look by Farina for the Austin A40 - a car that was to prove perceptive in where small car design was heading. BMC also put a hatchback in the Maxi in the 1960s, at a time when the French were also developing this sort of useful small car. The Renault 16, for example, was an important forerunner of the hatchbacks that were to arrive in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the case of Volkswagen, the new boss of the company, Rudolf Leiding, discovered that the company was still relying on the ageing Beetle for the bulk of its income and profit. The Beetle had been cleverly marketed and upgraded over the years, but it was clearly becoming a car of the past. Unfortunately, the work being done to design a new replacement for the Beetle was thought to be inappropriate and Leiden shut the project down. Instead, in 1971, he turned to engineers from fellow NSU/Audi who were working on a model that would be ideal as a base level Volkswagen car to quickly replace the Beetle. The powerful influence of Pininfarina was still felt when the design of this new car unfolded, even though the design contract had gone to Giorgio Giugiaro of Ital Design.




1970 Volkswagen Beetle showing just how old-fashioned this basic car was by the time of the first Golf - drastic change was evidently needed and yet the Beetle design survived and continues today albeit now based on Golf mechanicals and underpinnings (pic from
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The new car was called the Golf and it made its debut in 1974, together with the Scirocco, also designed by Guigario. Immediately, there were ideas put forward for a sporty version of the new Golf, sold for homologation into racing or rallying. It should be said that at this time Volkswagen were forbidden to manufacture racing cars, so the rallying hatchback seemed an excellent compromise. As for the Golf itself, its modern single-overhead cam engine with aluminium alloy cylinder head, MacPherson strut suspension and stiff light bodyshell made it ideal for modding into a Golf Sport.

There now begins the "skunkworks" legend of how the Golf Sport aka Golf GTI was born. It is true that there was a considerable amount of unofficial toing and froing at the company between a number of key figures, the most important of which were VW public relations guru Anton Konrad and development engineer Alfons Lowenberg (umlaut on 'o'). This secret committee made plans for a new yet discreet sporty Golf and came to the conclusion that the best option would be a sporty production car homologated for competition by privateers.

In a memo dated 18 march 1973, Lowenberg informed a number of key VW employees of his suggestion for a Golf Sport, and indicated the idea of following the FIA rules for competition cars in Group 1, including five speed gear box, disc brakes and a 1600 engine. Ernst Fiala, head of R&D at Volkswagen, did not approve of the idea of the new model, but Hermann Hablitzel, manager of passenger car development jumped on the idea and quickly set up an unofficial working group led by Lowenberg. By 1974, a production Golf had already been modified for Group 1 competition, and soon after that, Lowenberg's prototype Golf Sport was ready. It was a noisy little beast, powered by a transversely mounted carb-fed Audi 1600cc engine borrowed from the test department. Fiala drove the car and changed his mind about it - six additional prototypes were commissioned and in may 1975, the project was green-lighted even though there were doubts within the firm that 5,000 would ever be sold.




Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk 1 in rally form (pic from allracingc ars.com):
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The prototype was far from perfect and much work still needed to be done to produce a viable sporty Golf. Lowenberg wanted to use twin Weber carbs in order to increase the power, but this was impossible and the situation was only salvaged by using a new fuel injection system being fitted to the Passat and Audi 80 to get them through US emissions regulations. The suspension also needed tweaking, and the need for 5,000 engines was met when Konrad persuaded Ferdinand Piech (then head of technical development at Audi) to supply them on the basis that the Audi model designed for that engine was not yet complete.

Other finishing touches to the new Golf were the front bib spoiler, which helped keep the front end down, the black wheel arches over the 14 inch wheels, and the designs by Gunhild Liljequist for the tartan seats and interior trim, as well as the golf ball gear knob.

It would appear that the Golf Sport was renamed the Golf GTI between work on the prototype and the showing of that car at the September 1975 Frankfurt Show. Volkswagen showed this prototype mainly because it would otherwise have nothing new to display. It was still regarded essentially as an engineering project at this time, and concerns were expressed about the foolhardiness of putting such power into a small domestic car.

In June 1976 the Golf GTI was finally launched, having had a few tweaks here and there to further improve it. It was an immediate success, first with the press and then with the public. The 5000 target was beaten within a few months, and production was stepped up from 50 to 500 cars a day. Oddly, the GTI was not properly introduced into Britain until right-hand drive models were made in 1979. By 1980, over 140,000 Golf GTI's had been made but only 2,2000 of these had been sold in the UK. By 1979, the price of the Golf GTI was now 4000 DM more than the next most expensive Golf, and yet between 1976 and 1983, 420,000 GTIs had been built.




A 1976 Golf GTI (pic from autocognito.com):
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1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk 1 in four headlight version (pic from klasyczny.com):
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As William Kimberley says, "The success of the Golf GTI opened up a whole new market area for car manufacturers, particularly in sports-oriented Europe. Between the latter half of the 1970s to the end of 1980, car registrations tripled from 70,000 to 200,000.

Although not the first hot hatch around, it must be acknowledged that the Golf GTI (sic) was the car that prodded other large scale manufacturers into going for this important market sector. The ultimate Q-car, the Golf GTI was the early pacesetter with regard to style, handling, design and desirability and right through to the mid-eighties retained its position as yardstick for its class rivals."

The Golf GTI was a revelation to those who knew Volkswagen and their main product, the Beetle. From having no real sporting heritage, the company had ushered in a truly sporty road car and one which, amazingly, was water-cooled and front wheel drive. Weighing in at just 1786lbs, its 1588cc engine developed 110 bhp at 6100rpm, with its torque peaking at 103lb/ft at 5000rpm. The engine was notably smooth and flexible, making it a pleasant car to drive under many circumstances.On the open road, the car revealed its neutral handling, and tail breakaway only occurred beyond the normal range of driving. In 1979, just after the car reached the UK, a fifth gear was added to the range, and this proved to complete a range of gears well-suited to normal and more sporty driving, acceleration and braking.




1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mark 1 in profile (pic from img.pistonheads.com):
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Rear end of the 1976 Golf GTI Mk 1(car on the right) - together with the bonnet design and the cabriolet, perhaps the least successful part of the Golf Mk 1 exterior (pic from st.motortrend.com):
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The Mark 1 Volkswagen Golf GTi was an unassuming little car, although in the UK, an additional pair of headlights had been incorporated to give a bit of extra "dash." I must admit that although I deeply respect the Golf GTI Mk1 as being something special and a major influence on all major carmakers in the decade that followed, I do find the car lacking in aesthetic appeal. There is a somewhat tatty white Mk 1 Golf convertible that pootles around our area and it is not a car that speaks to me of desire in any sense. The straight-line design is somehow clunky and discomfiting, and the cloth top on this example makes the whole thing look even worse. Even with a hard top, the Mk 1 Golf does nothing to endear itself to me. Please note that this is a personal opinion, and does not take away from the classic status of the Mk 1 Golf GTI.




Golf GTI Mark 1 cabriolet (pic from photobucket.com):
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Interior of a Golf GTI Mk 1 right-hand drive (pic from telegraph.co.uk):
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By the beginning of the 1980s, while the Mk 1 Golf GTI was still holding its own among the competition, it was becoming evident that the Mark 1 Golf GTI would need a style boost and further development if it was to remain a popular model. The result was a complete re-design using wind tunnel testing to good effect. The resulting body shape of the new Golf ushered in gentle curves and soft shapes instead of the unforgiving straight lines and edges that had marked out the Golf Mk 1. Instead of returning to Ital Design for the new Golf, Volkswagen had used in-house design, and while the Mk 2 closely followed the Mark 1 in overall style, every panel was different, and it showed. Although clearly in the Golf tradition established by the Mk 1, this was a slightly larger and heavier car, and allowed just the right amount of aesthetic consideration in its body shape and external features.






The new model, the Mark 2, was launched in 1983 and was sold in the UK from the following year at a price of £7867. Unfortunately, within a year of so of its launch, the Mark 2 GTI was still seen to be too close to the standard Golf, and taking as its cue the wise decision of the UK importer to put additional headlights on the GTI, Volkswagen asked European dealers to come up with suggestions for changes that would fit within a £250 budget. The result of this, and other tweaks to the car, was a hurriedly updated Golf GTI with twin headlamps, extra red piping on the bumpers, twin exhausts and smarter interior trim.




Golf GTI Mk 2 in racing action (pic from performance-car-guide.co.uk)
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For me personally, the Mark 2 Golf GTI represents a pinnacle in the development of the hot hatch. Volkswagen had already introduced a heavier 1.8 litre engine into the Mk 1, and this engine, the 1.8litre EA8278v petrol was carried over into the new Mk 2. The intention was not so much to increase power as to improve smoothness, but top speed was now 118 mph, and there was an extra 5lb ft of torque - due to the lowering of the drag coefficient through wind tunnel work. The car was still a functional design in idiom but the additional 280mm in length and 50mm in width over the Mk 1, together with the fact that the car was no higher than before, gave the Mk 2 a squatter stance and a more purposeful appearance with regard to sportiness and speed. The suspension on the Mk 2 was essentially the same as the Mk 1, and steering was somewhat heavy and direct - the chunky steering wheel of the Mk 1 had gone as had the characteristic Mk 1 dash. As Car Magazine said in September 1983, "The GTI, more than ever, is a fast car for serious drivers."

The Volkswagen Golf Mark 2 was launched at a time when other manufacturers were ramping up the competition, and it was clear that the dressing-up tweaks were not going to maintain the sales of this rather beautiful hot hatch. One problem was that other manufacturers were now producing more powerful versions of their hot hatches. At this time, Ford was the main opposition with its Escort RS Turbo, and Volkswagen did consider using turbocharging in the Golf. However, the solution was already in development at Audi - a 16 valve engine featuring sodium-filled exhaust valves, oil-cooled piston skirts at high crank pressure, hydraulic tappets, lightened and re-profiled crank. This engine was to prove highly reliable and long-lived; it was good for 7000 revs although in production cars a limiter held it down to 6200, and once installed in the Golf GTI, it provided a performance boost for the Mk 2.




Interior of the Golf GTI Mk 2 (pic from 4starclassics.com):
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The new 16v Golf GTI was introduced in 1985, and was immediately hailed as something technically superior as well as being a joy to drive. Interestingly, Volkswagen maintained its tradition of understatement and the 16v model merely had discreet "16v" badges, wider wheels, deeper front splitter and the much-copied bee sting aerial on the hottest version. Central locking and even a Blaupunkt stereo system were also included. The new 16v 1.8 engine allowed the 16v GTI to reach a top speed of 130mph, and acceleration was also up to 0-60 in 7.5secs. Perhaps more importantly for Volkswagen, the more upmarket 16v Golf placed the model into the reaches of more rarified competitors from the likes of BMW and Mercedes. In 1987, the Mk 2 Golf received some styling tweaks, with a new grille, the end of front quarterlight windows, and large bumbers added. There were also minor changes inside the car.




Profile shot showing the more mature lines of the Mk 2 Golf GTI and in particular the finer stance of the car over the Mk 1 design. (pic from aronlines.com):
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The Volkswagen Golf GTI 16v model (pic from classics.honestjohn.com):
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The 16v Golf GTI revitalised the Mk 2 Golf in all its guises, and in particular the 8v version of the GTi. In 1989, 17,193 Mk 2 Golf GTis reached British homes, and a final run of the 8v version in 1992 was decked out to resemble its 16v sister with BBS alloys and electric windows. By the time of that run-out, the new model, the GTi mark 3, had arrived, and although the Mk 3 never had the charisma of the two previous models, the Golf GTi story was still in its infancy as this classic designation - Golf GTi - was to prove indelible. While the 16 valve Golf GTI Mark 2 is to me a high-point in hot hatchback design and function, we must not forget its slightly lesser sibling, the 1.8litre 8v model. When the Mk2 8v Golf GTI came out, it once again placed Volkswagen at the head of the hot hatch pack, and while there were still minor faults, as there are in almost any new car model, William Kimberley sums up the more basic 8v Mk 2 Golf GTI as follows:


Apart from the leap forward in aerodynamic sophistication, it had improved luggage and cabin room, economy, performance, handling and ride, service ease, corrosion protection and just about every other relevanr characteristic - to make it once again the best most progressive car in its class, but the body shape did not make the buyers aware of it. ... A rear axle location helped benefit the roadholding and the braking was improved. Its exterior dimensions were now similar to the Astra GTE's.

The beautifully smooth engine now had more torque ... while its 112 bhp were delivered at 5500rpm instead of the previous 5800rpm. The Mark 2 was a marginally slower to 60mph than the former model, taking 8.6secs against 8.4 secs, and was but 1mph faster, with a top speed of 114mph.

It was not increased performance that Volkswagen's engineers were looking for, but an increase in civility and refinement. This may not have been to the purists' delight, but by refining the ride, retaining its tremendous handling and passenger comfort, and increasing the space, it once again became the car to beat in the hot hatchback stakes although with its increase in price of over £1000 from that of the last of the Mark I's, it was considerably more expensive than its rivals." Sales of the Volkswagen Golf reached 2 million by 1985, and this car, in Mk 1 and Mk 2 versions, had proved itself a legend in the making, with the GTI as the most classic iteration .
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Re: The Leader of the Pack: Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mks 1 and 2

Post by Thegreyman »

Golf GTi was class, I always thought though the Pug 205 GTi was more nimble that the mk2 Golf and the 1.9 was quite scary fast (at least I remember being scared :shock: ) probably as fast if not faster through the gears than a Golf 16v. I'd be interested to know the respective kerb weights of the two.
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Re: The Leader of the Pack: Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mks 1 and 2

Post by Bigmac146 »

My first car the mk1. Great article.
Wish I could afford to replace it!!
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Re: The Leader of the Pack: Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mks 1 and 2

Post by tempusmaximus »

Very enjoyable read , I agree with Patrick , the Golf GTi was class :thumbup:
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