Did you know:
- The first generation of the iconic Golf was born in 1974 as the successor to the beloved but hopelessly outdated VW Beetle.
- The Beetle was manufactured in Mexico until 2003, but with the publication of Ralph Nader’s book “Unsafe at Any Speed” a safety hysteria erupted in the USA around older‐designed cars and Beetle sales plunged to zero.
- Volkswagen thus accelerated its development work and already before the end of 1974 the first customers could purchase the new car.
- The design of the first generation was created by Italian stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro. Its light and attractive design, German quality, and affordable price made the Golf a worldwide sales hit.
- In its very first months the Golf became the brand’s best‐selling model and in 1975 won the Car of the Year award in Australia.
- Today few realize that under political pressure in the United States the VW Golf was sold as the Rabbit. This was due to the oil embargo crisis known as the Gulf crisis.
- The only real drawback was its weaker corrosion protection, which over time affected all first‐generation owners.
- The GTi version introduced in 1976 brought a sporty model that was an accessible choice for Western buyers.
- With each new generation the Golf won new customers with its legendary reliability—but there was a small catch.
- There is no doubt that the Golf has always been a high‐quality, reliable car, but that almost supernatural legendary reliability was in part the result of Volkswagen managers who “pushed” specialist magazines and motoring editors toward over‐inflated ratings.
- To date, over 37,000,000 cars have been produced across 8 generations.
Technical specifications of the Golf GTi 1.6 8V:
- Dimensions: length 3.81 m, width 1.61 m, height 1.41 m
- Weight: 810 kg
- Body style: hatchback
- Powertrain: 1.6 8‑valve petrol engine with 82 kW output
- Top speed: 182 km/h
- Acceleration 0–100 km/h: 9.3 s
- Gearbox: 4 forward speeds + 1 reverse
- Fuel tank capacity: 40 l
- Fuel consumption: 8.8 l/100 km
- Seating capacity: 5
Gunhild Liljequist – designer:
“Giorgetto Giugiaro did an excellent job on the Golf, and we wanted to take it even further. My colleague Herbert designed the red trim around the front grille. It was stunning. I was responsible for the interior, which resulted in the unmistakable tartan seat upholstery and the round gear lever. We were truly proud of our work.”
Assembly Instructions
