Not just for boy racers apparently!
A Golf 9 GTI finished in Kings Red Metallic.
Whoever thinks that hot hatches are built to satisfy the need for speed that boy-racers intrinsically have has been proven wrong after a 79-year-old granny bought herself a brand new Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI!
A Golf 8 GTI finished in Kings Red Metallic.
Before thinking this is a spur of the moment decision at the Hatfield Volkswagen dealership in Rivonia by the senior citizen, the salesperson further adds that this is her fifth Golf GTI after being a loyal customer to the brand for over half a century, from when the GTI nameplate was first welcomed by budget-conscious enthusiasts.
Not just for boy racers apparently!
The story of the GTI started in 1974 after half a dozen VW employees orchestrated a sporty version of the Giugiaro-penned Golf Mk1 which was the Beetle successor.
The plan was then given the green light by Toni Schmücker, Chairman of the Board of Management, and the hot version of the German people’s car was thus equipped with a spicy 1,6-litre 4-cylinder motor which put out 82 kW in the lightweight hatchback.
The Mk1 GTI was in production for just under a decade before its successor was released internationally in 1984. The same formula was applied to the newer model by implementing modifications to the slightly larger German hatch which pushed power up to 102 kW from its 1,8-litre 4-cylinder motor in its most powerful form.
For the first time, the Golf GTI would employ a 2,0-litre 4-cylinder motor when the third generation debuted in 1991. This is a trend that remains with the brand up to its current generation, although assistance in the form of turbocharging has existed from the Mk5.
The popular Mk4 launched just before the close of the century and grewin all dimensions, but its replacement became one of the most revered Volkswagen models to sell on South African shores when it debuted with a completely modern shape in 2004. The new model employed the formidable 2,0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder motor (EA888) for the first time and has retained the popular engine ever since, albeit with revisions and evolutions keeping it relevant.
As with every generation of the GTI since, revisions and improvements have been implemented on the popular hatchback, cementing its place as the benchmark in its segment without compare.
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