GOAT Episode 5: Little but fierce, the original GTI

GTI, a group of alphabetic letters that make a badge and when placed in a grill with red accents, need no introduction. These letters have defined the quintessential hot-hatch since 1975. But what does GTI stand for? Gran Turismo Injection – a name longer than the car itself.

We are in the eighth generation of the GTI. Every generation of this little thing has gone on to claim the crown for hot-hatchery. Volkswagen has been at the game for a long time and doesn’t seem to be backing down anytime soon. We’re yet to see proper reviews and tests of the MK8 GTI but we reckon it will be good, given their track record.

It is the poster child for people who love their cars without a traditional boot. There’s a good reason for that which we will cover in a bit. But today we take you back to the one that started it all.

Origins of the GTI

Alfons Löwenberg, an engineer at Volkswagen, saw the potential for a small, but powerful car in the early 70s – a time when VW was not really inclined to making a supermini after the failed Beetle GSR (death to the Beetle!). 

Determined, Alfons puts together a team of like-minded engineers to build a high-performance car, called the ‘Sport Golf’. 

The team used an EA827 engine developed for Audi and mated it with a 4-speed manual transmission. The team also made changes to the suspension and braking for better handling. Then boiled a rabbit’s (get it?!) foot and poured the broth all over to give birth to the GTI!

The 108 hp motor only had 810 kilograms to push around and push it did – 100 kmph was achieved in the first 9.2 seconds, may sound slow by today’s standards but the year was 1975! 

On the hush hush

When the result of this skunkworks project was finally complete and presented to the big boys over in management, they loved and greenlighted it for production.

The car was an instant hit. A nimble, well handling supermini for the masses. 

It also featured a few changes that set it apart from the regular golf that would define the GTI decades later, like the tartan interior, offered exclusively to and still an option on GTIs today. A true GTI fanboy/girl ALWAYS orders one with the tartan interior (BOO Leather!).

Infact, when I bought my MK6 GTI, it was imperative that I had one with the tartan interior even though the stealership only had one with the leather interiors in stock. I waited 3 months for those seats and it was completely worth it.

Another change was the golf-ball shifter, still available on manual trims 4 decades later. 

The GTI also had different wheel arches and wheels to distinguish it from the standard golf.

The result was an icon of a car. An icon that would give birth to the hot-hatch war for decades to come. Every manufacturer wanted in on the GTI’s success. Which is why we say it’s the car that started it all.

It is definitely an all-time great and so, #iwantone. But I did just pick up a MK1 Golf Cabriolet and hope to give it some of my own skunkworks treatment, in the hopes of capturing the magic of the original GTI (I will fail, miserably, help me!).

Famous faces

Okay, so maybe this one’s slipped under the radar of most celebs. Or maybe they just don’t know enough about cars to recognise the true prowess of the MK1. Sure, with millions to spend, we can all go for a super flashy Aventador, but who can honestly say they’ve beaten extensive roadscapes on a tricked out original GTI?

We’ll leave a large dangling Riddler’s question mark over this one for now. Meanwhile, let’s just enjoy the GTI’s prowess without putting a face behind the wheel. Or maybe I’ll just imagine myself there. #fairplay.