{"id":2052,"date":"2017-06-11T13:18:09","date_gmt":"2017-06-11T11:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wittwer.nl\/?p=2052"},"modified":"2017-12-24T17:33:15","modified_gmt":"2017-12-24T15:33:15","slug":"vw-golf-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wittwer.nl\/?p=2052","title":{"rendered":"VW Golf I GTI"},"content":{"rendered":"

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History<\/h2>\n

The first Volkswagen Golf was introduced in 1974 as the successor to the Beetle. It was a radical departure from the previous Volkswagen approach of air-cooled rear engines. While the Golf surely wasn’t the first front-wheel drive car (the Mini used the concept much earlier) or car with rear hatch (likewise for the Renault R4), it nevertheless set a benchmark, probably because it was bigger than earlier offerings and thus was the first front-wheel-drive hatchback that was large enough to serve as family car.<\/p>\n

It was initially available with a 50 HP 1.1l and 70 HP 1.5l four-cylinder. In 1976, a Diesel model and the 110 HP 1.6l GTI was introduced. 1978 saw a facelift with new bumpers and improved steel quality. In 1980, new larger tail lights and a new dash were added. The GTI’s engine displacement was increased to 1.8l in 1982. In 1983, the successor Golf II was announced.<\/p>\n

Performance<\/h2>\n

While the 70 HP model was considered sporty at the time (certainly true when compared to a 44 HP Beetle), only the GTI can be considered sporty by modern standards. Wikipedia lists 10s as 0-100kph time for the 1.6l model, which I think is a bit pessimistic for a car of around 850kg. I have never driven a Golf I GTI, but I have been told that they feel very lightweight and nimble and provide lots of driving pleasure.<\/p>\n

Pros<\/h2>\n

The GTI is the original hot hatch, and as such an icon that is sure to further increase in price. Reliable technology result in a car that is cheap to run.<\/p>\n

Cons<\/h2>\n

If you want true sports car performance, look elsewhere. The availability of original true GTIs is limited, and GTI-specific parts are difficult to find.<\/p>\n

My pick<\/h2>\n

An original white GTI, 1.6l or 1.8l doesn’t really matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

History The first Volkswagen Golf was introduced in 1974 as the successor to the Beetle. It was a radical departure from the previous Volkswagen approach of air-cooled rear engines. While the Golf surely wasn’t the first front-wheel drive car (the Mini used the concept much earlier) or car with rear hatch (likewise for the Renault […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[92,89],"tags":[88],"class_list":["post-2052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-1970s","category-carsofinterest","tag-cars","czr-hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t