Your vehicle
No vehicle selected
Identify yours to refine your search results
No vehicle selected
Special editions of the Golf 2: rare, sporty or budget models that marked the 80s and 90s
18/03/2026
Harald
9 minutes read
Volkswagen
Volkswagen Golf 2
Limited editions are a chance for any manufacturer to boost its sales, hold the media spotlight, explore commercial niches and also clear surplus parts already made or options that have not sold well enough.
For the customer, it is a way to feel upgraded for the price paid and to drive a version the neighbour will not have on his drive. It is generally a "win-win", with everyone getting something out of it.
There were several on the Golf 2, but not that many compared with other manufacturers in the C segment (compacts); Peugeot would stay out in front with the 205.
It bore the name and had the gear knob to match... so why not make it a special edition for golfers and Golf drivers alike? The Cup was born on the basis of the 1800 carburettor GL of 1987 (early version with quarter lights), in Alpine white.
It has a metal sunroof, GTI steel wheels (14"), a sports steering wheel; it is white and 2-door, with a green pinstripe all the way round (bumpers included) and tinted glass.
This version came out alongside the Golf 2 Jubilé and the powerful Golf 2 Match 16s with the 1989 model year, to celebrate 10 million Golfs sold since 1974. With it, the 90 S petrol model went "Baccara".
See for yourself: power steering, 14" alloy wheels, semi-tinted tail lights, a single metallic blue colour (carried over to the mirrors), blue trim strip in the (small) bumpers, side mouldings, blue-tinted electric windows, blue velour carpet, velour sports seats (guess the colour), sports steering wheel, centre console, padded dashboard, central locking, 4 speakers... and so on.
The CHAMP was available as a 2 or 4-door, with a 5-speed or automatic gearbox, for 2,200 happy owners.
Built in a run of 3,500, it is a model "based on a base model"... the little 1300 with 55 hp and a 4-speed gearbox. Nothing to celebrate; it is the opposite of its sister the Champ and the G60 that came out at the same time.
Above all it is "cheap " and is only available as a 2-door, in white or red (without a blue light on top) with a little striping and a Jubilé logo. Basic by instinct.
The Golf Travelling is a basic Golf 2. Little equipment, 13" steel wheels, two colours to choose from: white or red, with a few stripes and stickers.
You would think it was trying to compete with the Peugeot 205 Zénith and 205 Junior.
It stayed in the catalogue from 1988 to 1990, moving from special edition to a series built into the range.
14" wheels, spoiler, black sills and wheel arch trims GTI-style; it was available in several colours, with a multi-spoke steering wheel, a radio and/or 4-speaker equipment, and cloth or velour upholstery.
Available in 1300, 1600 and 1800 petrol and in 1600 Diesel and Turbo Diesel (70 then 80 hp).
Certainly one of the most common among the G2 special editions; it was cooked up to the same recipe as its predecessor, the Memphis. It joined the catalogue in 1989 and stayed to the end. You most often see it in metallic green or blue. The final 1991 version came out with clear front indicators and a 4-headlight grille.
Like many Golf 2 special editions, it uses the first version of the small U-shaped bumpers, even though the big bumpers appeared with the 1990 model year. Talk about surplus spare parts to clear...
A 1990 Boston, restored by its owner, can be found in our Golf 2 owner stories.
The Golf Rallye, the Golf 2 16s Match, the Golf 2 Country, not forgetting the ultimate G60 Limited... the best Golf 2s came out of the boxes towards the end of its career, around 1990, as a sort of grand finale to a firework display that lasted 8 fine years.
These remarkable versions, alongside the Golf 2 GTI, are clearly in the top 30 of the most sought-after youngtimers today. Less prized and more common than the first Golf GTIs, they are becoming rare in good original condition, many having suffered the torments of tuning in the 2,000s.
May 1988, metallic black is the order of the day, and VW goes "classy" with this luxurious version initially limited to 1,200 units. It is fitted with 15" BBS RA wheels and sports Match and 16s logos in plain view.
Its astonishing electronic Digifiz (digital) instrument cluster is more modern than sporty, as if its target were dynamic young executives usually seduced by stock market charts. There are no options on this model apart from leather; everything is there: power steering, sunroof, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, darkened tail lights and so on.
Here VW stepped up another level with its two Edition Ones of the Two... the same spirit as the Match that came out a year earlier but better. VW came back strongly with a "big bumper" GTI 2 and a very rich equipment list: sunroof, chromatic-tint rear windows, white front indicators, darkened tail lights, body-coloured mirrors and... split BBS RM wheels in 15".
3 colours were in the catalogue: metallic black or grey and a superb pearl burgundy.
The Edition One came out in a 16s version and a G60 version. It is highly sought after today.
This bodybuilt 4-wheel-drive version, called the Golf 2 Rallye, was the first Golf to be fitted with the famous G60 engine. To enter this new version in the World Rally Championship in Group A, it appeared in 1989 in a limited run of 5,000 units.
The Golf 2 GTI, which had already won the Group A drivers title in 16s form in 1986, would not manage to shine there again against the Lancia Delta HF despite this evolution.
Released in 1989, it is based on the Golf 2 Syncro platform, in a 4-door body for extra rigidity. It therefore gets the Syncro 4-wheel-drive transmission with viscous coupling. It would need traction to put down the 210 horsepower of its fiery 1800 16-valve engine, fed by a G60 scroll supercharger! Of course, BBS and RECARO (leather) are part of the equipment.
The Limited is the Holy Grail for every enthusiast of characterful Golf 2s, the most exclusive and rarest of all the versions sold.
Not to be confused with the Golf 2 Cup, which refers to golf (the sport). This Cup appeared in 1989 alongside the very classy Golf 2 MATCH 16s to celebrate the 10 millionth Golf built since its beginnings in 1974.
In contrast to the MATCH, the Cup is austere; the idea was to put out a GTI at a tight price. 2 doors, no tinted glass, no electric windows or central locking, no decorative stripes like on the GTI, 14" steel wheels and no options possible.
On the fringes of the classic and sporty special editions, do you know the Golf 2 Country? It is neither classic nor sporty, and yet it links the two.
The Golf Country is a "basic" Golf CL; it takes the body and viscous-coupling transmission of the Golf 2 Syncro, in 4-door form... and it needs the GTI 8v engine in its 98hp Digifant catalysed version to move its 1,245 kg! Its body sits on a subframe that gives it an extra 12 cm of ground clearance.
It is an off-roader that bets everything on looks: bull bar and 4 additional headlights at the front, an external spare wheel carrier at the back and 15" wheels with a specific design. Add decorative stripes depicting a mountain and you get an SUV before its time, ready to dominate the traffic! 7,735 examples of this high-riding Golf 2 were assembled in Austria, at PUCH, the 4x4 specialist, between 1990 and 1991.
The Golf 2 special editions represent one of the commercial niches of the Golf 2, now an eternal Youngtimer. They managed to win over customers waiting for the cherry on the cake.
The sporty Golf 2s are another of these niches. The true limited editions (rarely equalled), such as the Golf 2 G60 Rallye, the G60 Limited, the GTI Cup and the Match 16s, are the niche within the niche of the Golf 2. Whether they are the cherry, the cake or the cream of the crop, these remarkable versions of the Golf 2 continue to delight the gluttons-turned-gourmets that we are. To be savoured without moderation.
Harald
Le partage de la Passion, simplement.
Similar articles
The saga of the Golf 2 GTI and its derivatives
Golf 2 GTI: all the versions that made the history of a sporting icon.
Read the article
The Volkswagen Golf 2: the next generation and beyond
Bigger, roomier, better finished, the Golf 2 keeps the codes of its predecessor without upending everything. GTI 8s, 16s, GTD or G60, it marked the 80s with its reliability, performance and move upmarket without losing the VW DNA.
Read the article
Subscribe to our MECATECHNIC newsletter
