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The Volkswagen Golf GTI was unveiled in 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It was powered by a 1.6 litre four cylinder engine with K-Jetronic fuel injection, developed 110 hp at 6.100 rpm and 103 lbs ft of torque at 5.000 rpm. This allowed the GTI, which weighed 810 kg unladen, to hit 100 kph from standstill in nine-seconds before reaching a top speed of 177 kph. The now familiar mix of a high-revving, responsive four-cylinder engine installed in a hatchback body with the emphasis on driving fun linked to a pared down interior came as a revelation at the time. Especially when combined with tartan trim and the now iconic golf ball gearshift. The car was an instant hit. By the time right-hand drive cars arrived in the UK in 1979 a total of 1,573 cars were sold in that year, a number that would triple within two years.
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In 1984 the Mk II GTI was launched and picked up where the Mk I left off. A new chassis structure, a 1.8 litre engine developing 112 hp and 114 lbs ft of torque and new styling evolved the GTI and saw it appeal to a new generation of fans. Sales of the Mk II GTI surpassed those of the Mk I, peaking at 17,193 vehicles in 1989. In Germany a supercharged G60 version developing 160 hp was sold, an output that wouldn’t be bettered in a GTI until 2002.
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Three years later the Mk III GTI was launched, bringing with it a new 2.0 litre eight-valve engine and improved aerodynamics over the previous Mk I and Mk II models. In 1993 the GTI was fitted with a 2.0 litre 16-valve engine, raising the power output from 115 hp in the eight-valve model up to a more substantial 150 hp and 133 lbs ft of torque to drop the 0-100 kph time to 8.3 seconds and raise the top speed to 214 kph.
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The introduction of the Mk IV GTI in 1998 saw significant changes to the line-up with the first diesel-engined GTI introduced along with two petrol engines in a total of four different states of tune. The Mk IV GTI made significant gains in refinement and safety – in 2002 the fastest accelerating and most powerful GTI produced up until that point was released in the form of the 180 hp GTI 25th Anniversary Edition. It was the success of this more powerful vehicle that inspired the introduction of the Mk V GTI.
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Launched in September 2004 at the Paris Motor Show the Mk V GTI equipped with a 200 hp engine was not only the most powerful but also the most focused GTI yet produced. A new 2.0 litre TFSI engine linked to a six-speed gearbox and standard Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) were linked to a new chassis equipped with MacPherson struts at the front and a multilink configuration at the rear. The vehicle was 15 mm lower than the standard Golf on new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars. Visual cues were taken from the original GTI with the return of the tartan interior and the red surround to the grille element – even the GTI typeface used on the badge echoed that of the original.
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The Mk V GTI served as a basis for two special editions – the Pirelli and Edition 30. Both models were powered by an evolution of the 2.0 litre TFSI engine fitted to the conventional GTI, albeit both producing 230 hp.
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The wildest GTI ever created – the GTI W12-650 – was also based on the Mk V. Powered by a mid-mounted 6.0 litre W12 engine producing 650 hp the vehicle could accelerate to 100 kph in 3.7 seconds and could theoretically achieve a maximum speed of 325 kph. This prototype would serve as inspiration for the Mk VI GTI.
More recently, Volkswagen introduced a sort of "last editon" for the Mk V GTI with a tuned up version of the 2.0 litre TFSI, this time developing about 240 hp.
. Production of the Mk V Golf ceased in August 2008.
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In total over 1.700.000 examples of the GTI have been sold worldwide since the vehicle went on sale in 1976.
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Paris 2008... Volkswagen introduces a design study for a Mk VI GTI. Although still dubbed a "concept" the car is pratically what you will see when the production version hits the markets next Spring. The new GTI evokes a successful past bringing along the iconic design featured in the Mk I GTI. Just look at the lovely black grille surrounded by two simple red lines. The heart of the new GTI is an evolution of the previous generation GTI. The new 2.0 litre TSI engine develops 210 hp and is able to reach 100 kph in just 7.2 seconds. The latest generation of the GTI will hit 240 kph of topspeed.
.The Mk VI GTI is getting ready to continue a long lasting successful story...
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