35 years on, GTi still leads the way

The anniversary edition of Volkswagen’s GTi hasn’t strayed far from the original. There was little need - it’s still the hot hatch benchmark

IN 1974, Volkswagen engineer Alfons Lowenberg wrote an internal memo calling on the firm to consider creating a sporty Golf for younger customers. He was supported in his efforts by the firm’s former PR director Anton Konrad.

By all accounts, the reaction from their bosses at the “people’s car” firm might well have found both of them on the unemployment lines. Even when Lowenberg persisted in creating a prototype, VW’s head of research at the time tested the car and described it as “undriveable”. He left them in no doubt that they were wasting time and he was not about to let them waste money as well.

Perseverance is an engineering trait however, and after garnering advice and eventually support from other areas of the business, a sports Golf was launched in 1976 with a target volume of 5,000 sales. This year the GTi is closing in on the milestone of two million sales.

The Golf GTi has been around for 35 years and to mark the occasion VW has introduced a special edition of the current model, boasting 235bhp.

As part of the celebrations we had the opportunity to drive some of the earlier iterations of the GTi. Sitting into an early 1980s GTi should provoke a surge of nostalgia. Instead it reminded me of just how old I am.

The exterior still looks incredibly stylish. It’s a little boxy but it’s still ultra-cool, retaining that aura of desirability that pitched the GTi firmly in the premium segment and tempted many buyers away from the likes of BMW and towards this fast-paced hot hatch.

Well, fast-paced for its time, for while they were much lighter than the current generation, they certainly don’t feel much faster than a modern Polo diesel.

And you wouldn’t be that inclined to push it too hard on the open road, for the steering has about ten degrees of play before anything remotely occurs down at the front wheels, while the brakes have two modes: soft and squidgy or wheel locking.

In comparison to the founding model of hot-hatch motoring, the modern car seems positively space age. So having once more learnt never to meet your childhood heros, we made our way to the latest iteration, the Edition 35 GTi.

This anniversary edition has a few cosmetic touches, such as a new front bumper and smoked glass tail lights, but you’d need to be a GTi devotee to spot the differences, and even behind the wheel it doesn’t reveal much of a difference from the regular GTi.

Then again, there’s little need, for the GTi remains the benchmark for hot hatch performance. It mixes everyday practicality with discrete performance styling, while all the time cloaking a raw, passionate performer. Find a clear stretch of German road, push down on the throttle and the Golf GTi treads through the bends like its on rails.

There are a few niggles: the ride on 19-inch alloys is harder than it needs to be and can upset the flow on poorly surfaced roads. There’s a noticeable improvement if you drop down to 18-inch. There’s also a lack of theatrics from the manual transmission version, which keeps the engine ticking over sedately when idling, but lacks the hypnotic gurgle that has been tuned into the exhaust system of the dual-clutch six-speed automatic. The latter automatically blips the throttle between changes and just feels that bit more passionate.

Irish prices for the GTi Edition 35 have yet to be confirmed and it’s unlikely we will see more than a couple make it over to this island. Yet the very fact that the GTi has managed to hit 35 is commendable in itself and buyers of the current version need not feel they are missing out on anything.

Besides, if you really want more raw power from the Golf, the R Edition – already on sale here – is the answer. With it VW has pushed the engineering dynamics of this current Golf chassis and powertrain to the limit.

The next generation Golf is due in 2013 and provisional work is undoubtedly underway on a GTi version. The legend lives on and for many it represents the ideal mix of hatchback practicality with sports-star appeal. Many have mimicked it but for its dual-purpose mix of practicality and raw power, it has yet to be beaten.