The Golf GTI is often considered by many as the car that ignited the Hot Hatch craze in the late 70’s and 80’s, with all the practicality and features of the base model golf with the performance to put much more expensive machinery to shame. This example has been restored by a VW fanatic up in Scotland, the VW enthusiast community is littered with examples of cars that have extraordinary levels of attention to detail, but this example has been finished with an almost surgical obsession. 

To give you an example, the person who carried out the restoration even went to the lengths of coating the underside of the engine and gearbox with a thin film of oil every year. This is to protect it from minor corrosion from the changing weather conditions in the winter. They had a specific wash mit and routine to keep the paintwork in pristine condition and as you know, black is a very unforgiving colour when it comes to showing defects. 

The current owner heard about the car through word of mouth, the then owner said they wouldn’t part with it, after some time passed however a phone call was made and the sale was finalised. The current owner original intention was to enjoy the car in its current form, however life has other plans, and the car is now being offered for auction

 

The Golf comes with a huge stack of papers from its history and from the restoration, the car’s recorded mileage was 80,000 in 1996 before it was taken off the road for one of the previous owners to start work. It was sold then as an unfinished project and went through two owners who didn’t have the time to put the car back on the road. 

The previous owner purchased it and stripped the whole car back to a bare shell as can be seen in the gallery. The car has had an enormous amount of time, effort and finance afforded to it to get it to the stunning condition it is now in. The amount of paperwork means that it’s hard to record it here in this description, but no aspect of the car has been left out during the rebuild process and all new or new old stock parts have been used when putting it back together.

The interior we can attest to is absolutely sublime, the front seats are comfortable which when added to the new suspension results in a 40-year-old car that feels like a modern-day car in terms of cabin noise and ride quality. Anyway, getting off topic, the rear seats have been professionally retrimmed and again that attention to detail makes another welcome appearance, with even the swage lines being put back into the trim to give it a sculpted look. As stated, the carpet and headlining are new, and everything fits very well around the cabin. 

The classic steering wheel and golf ball style gear knob are present and in great condition and the gauge console has the red pinstriping that was synonymous with the GTI. Next to the gauges is the stereo which has been refurbished along with four speakers, the sound is very 80’s even when playing tapes. The sunroof is a nice touch and as you can expect moves freely in its rails and fits tightly when closed. 

On the inside the headlining fits nicely around it and it only serves to add to the driving experience when open. Perhaps the most important feature in the interior though is the intact and non-butchered rear parcel shelf, so often used for additional speakers this one is 100% free from poorly cut circular holes. 

The bodywork has received a fair bit of attention during the restoration and the synopsis is quite a comprehensive one. The car has had all underseal removed and the floor repaired of corrosion which was reported to be quite minor. It was then coated with epoxy paint then VW’s own underseal, followed by a coat of white then the black colour you see in the gallery. 

The underseal was applied to look as OEM as possible with even the seams being brushed to the same dimensions as original, yet further evidence of the meticulous care that’s been taken in the pursuit of perfection. The rear arches were repaired before the restoration to a high standard and the front wings and bonnet are new items. 

The tailgate is a new old stock item and is actually a series one tailgate. Most of the exterior trim is new as well as the headlights which have been upgraded with a new loom which greatly improves the output of light from the headlights. The car comes on the original 13” ‘Tarantula’ alloys with new tyres and the whole vehicle is regularly washed and paint protected with ceramic coating to keep the paintwork as fresh as it was when it was repainted.

When the restoration began the Golf had the incorrect engine fitted so a correct EG code engine was sourced and refurbishment of the mechanicals began. The block was rebored and forged pistons were fitted, the block was pressure tested and the cylinder head was fitted with new valve guides. The rest of the engine had new bearings, oil pump, gaskets, sump and water pump with the crankshaft also being checked. 

The fuel system is all new or new old stock from the filler cap to the metering head with stainless steel filler pipe, tank, straps, pump, hose brackets and accumulator. All ancillaries have been replaced or refurbished and the exhaust manifold has been upgraded. All this work was completed around 2014-2016 at around 93,000 miles on the engine and gearbox, on the drive, no crunching or any other unwanted noises were heard, it really did run beautifully during our short run to the photoshoot location. The gear linkage was rebuilt and powder coated too and tightens up the whole assembly. 

Braking wise, everything is new apart from the pedal box, with an additional tasty feature being the Autocavan brake bar which greatly improves the braking feel as developed on race cars back in the day. The original servo and brake bar is included with the car too however should originality be the new owner’s pursuit. The suspension is new Bilstein dampers and eibach springs with all new bushings, suspensuion arms, ball joints, steering rack, wheel bearings and track rod ends, all powder coated or plated. 

This really is a stunning example of a Mk1 GTI and it looks, drives, feels and sounds sublime. The level of care and attention to detail speak for themselves and it has been treated by enthusiastic and sympathetic owners who value the car for its worth and provenance. If you’re looking for one of the best examples of a Mk1 Golf in the country then you’ve surely got to rank this one highly in your search.