50 years of the Golf GTI: meeting an enthusiast in Normandy

Before the Golf, there was air-cooled. Harald first fell for air-cooled Volkswagens — Beetle, Camper — before buying, some thirty years ago, his first Golf 1 GTI, a 1979 model. It was a revelation: a small, quick car that's pleasant in town and on the open road, and that he's used almost every day. One thing led to another, and one car brought another, until he'd owned five Golf 1 GTIs at the same time, among the model's earliest years: a '77, a '78 and a '79.

When he started taking an interest, the GTI didn't yet have the 'Youngtimer' status it's known for today. Harald's something of a pioneer, having backed these first generations early on; they're now seen as the most desirable by collectors.

Harald shares a few valuable pointers for identifying the very first Golf GTIs. The 1976 to 1978 model years have small bumpers and small tail lights, the same size as the cabriolets'. The 1979 model year brought in the large bumper while keeping the small tail lights.

It wasn't until autumn 1980 that the large tail lights appeared. The very first GTIs, with small bumpers and small tail lights, ran exclusively with a 4-speed gearbox; the 5-speed didn't arrive until the 1980 model year, already with large bumpers but still with small tail lights.

On the road, these early GTIs stand out for very direct steering and a characteristic behaviour in tight corners: the inside rear wheel lifts slightly, a signature well known to the enthusiasts who'd see it in the hairpins of hill climbs.

Braking, on the other hand, remains these early models' weak point: small pads at the front and drums at the rear, not very durable for the 1600 engine's 110 horses.

The centrepiece of the visit is a 1983 Golf GTI, literally designed for the track. As built, it didn't even have bumpers — weight saving ('light is right') taking priority over everything else.

Harald chose to fit old small bumpers, lighter than the original U-shaped bumpers of this generation, for a look he finds more harmonious with the arch extensions.

A delightful touch: this car was bought from a friend who's a specialist in preparing Golf 1 GTIs. Stéphane H., who'd designed this car for the track, did the lion's share of the work, and Harald then took the baton, adding his own touch to make it truly 'his'.

Under the bonnet, the engine neatly shows the 'patchwork' spirit the period's tuners loved:

• A Golf 2's 1600 cm³ carburettor block, topped with a Golf 2 KR's reworked 16-valve head (camshafts with higher lift), with long-stroke con-rods and reworked 16S pistons.
• The flywheel is lightened and gets a reinforced 4-puck clutch, and the rotating assembly's balanced. It's neither an Oettinger engine nor a complete 1800 KR block, but a made-to-measure assembly that keeps the original 1600 cm³ displacement.
• Fuelling is by two Weber 45 DCOE twin-choke carburettors, paired with a 'Filter King' pressure regulator.
• The exhaust adds to the soundtrack too; the 4-into-1 manifold and the full large-diameter line are Supersprint originals. With no dyno run, power's estimated at around 150 horses; compare that with the 139 horses of the standard fuel-injected 1800 KR.
• The cooling has been rethought for circuit use too: a 205 GTI radiator gets two SPAL fans, and 2 grilles replace the original driving lights, to bring a little fresh air under the bonnet.
• The engine layout also makes it possible to separate intake and exhaust, a notable advantage over the 8-valves, where the intake's exposed to the hot air from the exhaust manifold.

The chassis? Solid as a plank!

• This Golf wasn't built for fetching the bread over speed bumps. It's been developed to stick to the tarmac. The threaded coilovers are D2 track units paired with adjustable top mounts, every bush's been replaced with a stiffer urethane one, 2 large-diameter H&R anti-roll bars, the lower and upper strut braces and the roll cage all add to this GTI's rigidity.
• As for the bodywork, a genuine Kamei GR2 kit dresses the car (the period logo's visible at the bottom of the spoiler), without the matching sills, a choice that's fully intended.
• The brakes, the GTI's historic weak point, have been completely rethought: ventilated and drilled discs front and rear, Wilwood 4-piston calipers at the front and Golf 4 ones at the back, plus a brake bias adjuster that's operated from the cabin, to fine-tune the balance between the front and rear axles. The 7x15 Speedline wheels (shod with YOKOHAMA semi-slicks) have a design that's the same as on the rally Audi Quattros.
• The cabin confirms the car's sporting vocation: roll cage, multiple gauges, kill switch, race fire extinguisher, removable dished steering wheel, brake bias adjuster within reach, hydraulic handbrake, SPARCO bucket seats and so on. Another nod to the original GTI: the tartan seat fabric, which technically isn't period-correct for a 1983 model year (Volkswagen dropped it after the 1981 model year, but Harald wouldn't hear of leaving it out). The shell's been lightened to the maximum — no carpet, no sound insulation — for a 'raw' driving experience where every bump in the road comes up through the steering wheel.

Among Harald's Golfs, tucked in a corner of the garage, is a 1978 Golf 1 GTI he's kept for fifteen to twenty years and that he's earmarked for a complete, original-spec restoration — the 13-inch steel wheels included.

He kept it specifically because it's never had an aftermarket sunroof fitted, unlike many models of the period that had the famous Britax roof installed by Sudauto.

The job won't be a small one: the first Golf 1s suffered from inadequate rust protection, a problem made worse by the arch extensions that trap damp and mud, eventually attacking the fuel filler neck.

The 1600 GTI engine and its original K-Jetronic injection will also need a full overhaul: it's an efficient system when it's in good condition, but complex and sensitive to impurities and rust.

In Harald's view, these cars aren't meant to sleep in the garage: they're cars to live with, to use all year round. Today's availability of restoration parts (bodywork panels, tanks, filler necks...) and the existence of good K-Jet specialists mean they can be given a sound base that'll keep them driving.