Dreamt up in 1974 as a replacement for VW’s uber-successful Beetle the Golf would have big shoes to fill. Launching in May of 1974 the first generation of the Golf was a modern front-wheel-drive, long-range replacement of the Beetle. The now infamous GTI would follow in 1976.

Everyone now knows the Golf and it is more than likely that you know someone who has had or still has a Golf. Now entering its eighth generation and more than 40 years in production the Golf is now synonymous with automotive history. The mark 1 is obviously where it all started, and the simple boxy lines of these first-generation cars are a timeless piece of design.

With this being a one-owner car from new it doesn’t have the long and complicated life that other examples may have through different owners. But with only one owner from new, we can appreciate the fact that this has never been mucked about with, no aftermarket parts have been fitted and no holes have been put into the parcel shelf to accommodate bigger speakers. This is as close as you can get to how it left the factory in 1980.

The current owner acquired the car recently but due to a change in personal circumstances, it now has to depart so the next person can enjoy the car and bring it back to its former glory.

There isn’t a great deal of paperwork that will come with the car, it is only a case of there being a V5 and original handbook present. Apart from these two pieces of documentation, there isn’t anything else that will come with it.

This is possible because of such long previous ownership that they had either misplaced the paperwork or not known that one day these cars could become collector items.

The interior of this Golf has been pretty well persevered over the past 40 years, just as well too, the dashboard within this GLS with the Sharp synthesizer tape deck and the four driving gauges on the centre console are apparently a rare combination that isn’t seen too often today.

All of the seats have been preserved under the seat protectors that are present on all of the seats. They may be a little tired in places, but this is still the original interior with no aftermarket additions over the past 40 years.

One quirky colour combination that you probably wouldn’t find in modern cars are the triple toned green door cards. With a dark green leatherette material covering the majority of the door and the green carpet at the bottom of the door to protect from shoes, they are presented today in great condition with all the plastic trim still attached and not broken.

A few tiny bits on the interior that the new owner may want to see too is a broken divider between the fuse board and glove compartment in front of the passenger and on cold mornings there is a bit of moisture on the inside of the windscreen, but the latter could be as easily fixed as leaving the windows open to dry the interior out.

Overall the interior of this Golf is in pretty good condition, with only having one elderly owner over its life it has escaped any boy racers cutting up the interior to install aftermarket parts. It is about as original as you could get on the inside of this Golf.

When VW launched the Golf in 1974, we doubt they expected it to become a cult classic living through eight generations with a span of two centuries. With the simple lines and nature of the exterior design, it is now one of the cars that many people can relate to with everyone having an individual ‘Golf story’.

The exterior of this Golf is okay in places but some areas will require a bit of attention to bring her back to the condition she was once in. The main areas that could do with changing are the front wings, as you can see from the photos there has been some issues with rust, although this is fairly common with these Golfs.

There are a few more areas around the car that will probably need new panels put in or patches welded in, with the other main offender being just behind the nearside front wheel. With there being such a following for all things VW parts and labour could be easy to find.

Apart from the areas of rust the rest of the body is in good condition with all of the exterior trim being present and correct, this is a rolling restoration project that is just waiting for someone to sink their teeth into. When the car has been restored it should be a great example.

Fitted with a 1.5l engine and a 3-speed automatic this was the perfect city car back in 1980 and these days should be fairly fuel-efficient. It is hard to comment on what level of maintenance this Golf has received over its lifetime as there aren’t any documented invoices that detail work done to it.

We are told it runs and drive but on the day of the photoshoot, it didn’t want to fire. Whether this was a case of a flat battery or something else we’re not sure. She did crank over though, so at least the engine is not seized. Once this Golf is up and running it should be an easy car to jump in and take out for a drive.

With there being a huge cult following for anything classic Volkswagen there is sure to be a huge crowd for you to present this car to when everything has been addressed. With a few parts replaced this could be one of the best mk1 Golfs out there. 

With the rare dash and rare optional auto-gearbox coupled with only one owner from new this Golf has an individual story that many other mk.1’s can't match.
Once this car has gone through a small restoration period it could be one of the best out there. The market for classic VW’s has always been crazy this could be a savvy investment too.