Descripción
1991/ J Volkswagen Golf Mk1 GTI Convertible Rivage "Leather" Limited Edition. Superb Classic Green Pearl coachwork with original full beige leather upholstery, brand new black mohair roof.
The Rivage "Leather" edition is widely regarded as THE ultimate classic Golf Cabriolet. The regular Rivage limited edition was available in blue with a smart blue cloth upholstery and blue mohair roof and these made up the majority of the Rivage quota brought to the UK. Then for considerably more money was the Rivage "Leather" edition which again was available in blue but this time with an attractive cream-beige interior. Finally, and rarest of them all, was the Rivage "Leather" edition in Classic Green, which was only available with the cream-beige leather interior and had a black mohair roof, thus being the Holy Grail of soft top Mk1's if you like.
This superb specimen has not been restored or messed with, rather it has always been a cherished vehicle, never fallen into the wrong hands, it factory correct in every last detail and I would conjecture is the most honest and authentic Classic Green Rivage left.
You may find an example which purports to have a lower mileage but it will lack the originality and impeccable provenance of mine, and as mine has always been on the road year on year, and not left languishing in some damp lock up for a decade, it drives better than any other example you may uncover. Ask yourself why a Rivage with 65, 000 miles on the clock that now professes to be showroom splendid has needed to have a full respray, the gearbox replaced and the original deep pile cream-beige carpet replaced with an aftermarket black carpet?
My Rivage has only 124, 000 miles with FSH and very detailed invoice dossier. HPI clear with certificate. Full 12 months MOT which it sailed through with no failures and not even a single advisory, great for a 28 year old car. To further differentiate my car, it has only had 5 keepers from new. The current owner has owned this car for the last ten years, and the previous owner to that was a lady living in a very posh address in West London who owned this Rivage for 8 years. Supplied new by Scotts of Sloane Square, London, the swankiest VAG main dealer in the UK at the time, this Rivage started life in seriously wealthy hands, the second owner being a lady barrister for instance. It has never suffered the fate of falling into the hands of penniless Veedub twonks who have changed its special leather steering wheel, gearknob, slammed it suspension, traded in the beautiful alloy wheels for inferior BBS types, quite simply it is the most refreshingly original, complete and proper Rivage on sale today.
I have had my GTI specialist perform a comprehensive mechanical programme on the car to get it to be the best that it can be, not because the car did not drive well from the outset, it did, but to ensure long term satisfaction for the new custodian. There has been a new timing belt and tensioner kit, 3 piece LUK clutch kit, full engine service, new Mintex front brake discs with EBC Greenstuff pads (to keep brake dust to a minimum on the mirror polished alloys - and they do!) - the rear has the factory drum brakes incidentally as it should, new exhaust downpipe, new steering rack mounts and various other bushes and gaitors to take the car onto a superb level of mechanical fettle.
At 28 years old the original roof skin was past its best, as it was entitled to be. My major expenditure on this car was to get the cabriolet roof replaced by the most skilled soft top specialist in the country, (who is located in Coventry). I purchased the best quality mohair roof money can buy in Sonnenland fabric directly from Osnabruk in Germany from the OE supplier to the now defunct Karmann factory that manufactured every Golf Mk1 Cabriolet. I had hoods from B. A. S UK and Prestige Hoods UK, but these did not pass muster, so going to Germany was the only choice for this special Cabriolet. Additionally a new black headlining, insulation pad and rear window frame have been fitted, so the car has had the most comprehensive roof overhaul possible. The fit of the new Osnabruk-made roof is exquisite, it cannot be faulted.
The Rivage "Leather" was the most luxurious and expensive GTI Cabriolet ever made, the specification ran to: pearlescent paintwork, power-operated mohair roof, stunning 15-inch "Le Castellet" forged alloy wheels, heated seats, electric front windows, tinted glass, beige leather upholstery, sports front seats, leather trimmed steering wheel and gearknob complemented by beige leather gearstick gaitor and handbrake grip and powered by the legendary 1. 8 litre DX GTI engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
Forget about all the crappy Clipper cabriolets that abound with their tricky carbs and automatic chokes, or worse still converted to manual chokes, and please give the super nasty 3-speed automatic Cabrios a very wide berth. Do not confuse this with the regular GTI Cabriolets either, or even the standard Blue Rivage or Sportline editions. The Classic Green Rivage "Leather" stands in its own special bracket of desirability and my car is in a league of its own, it is outstanding throughout.
