Description
purchased the Golf whilst living in Germany in 2020. I had been looking for several months before coming across this particular car. German Golfs are great because that don’t tend to salt roads as much over there. I had owned a couple of Golfs in my time over there and I was blown away by how rust free the cars were. Needless to say, this Golf 1. 1 was unbelievably clean, with no rust at all. The car had been purchased new in 1983 and driven to 79, 500km (49k miles). It had been garage stored its whole life until c2002 (I have the purchase note where it mentions purchasing the car along with the contents of the garage it was stored in), whereafter it was purchased by a mechanic. It was then transferred to another dry storage and kept there until 2020, when I purchased it. The car comes with the paperwork showing the services and MOTs (TÜV), confirming the incredibly low mileage on the clock. When I moved back to the UK I drove the car back to the UK and set about building my dream Golf. The objective I set for myself was to build something that looked like a series 1 GTI, drove faster and felt better whilst driving. The Golf is an absolute hoot to drive. The lightweight 16v block revs and revs and sounds fantastic whilst doing it. It’s the perfect b-road car. THE WORK- 1. 4 16v AFH engine swap, stripped and rebuild with new water pump, pulleys and belts- 5 speed 085 gearbox from a Mk2 Golf. - New clutch fitted- Full custom 421 stainless steel manifold- Full stainless steel exhaust system. With the induction of the bike carbs and the stainless system, the car just sounds exceptional.- Danst Engineering inlet manifold with ZX6R carbs. All fitting and tuning work completed by DanST engineering. Put on their dyno, making 127bhp (with paperwork).- Facet red top fuel pump- Silicone cooling pipes (fitted by DANST Engineering)- MTS coilovers with Eibach Springs- Drilled and Grooved Discs- Peformance Brake Pads (combined with the discs, the stopping power is much better than a standard golf)- New Drum brake shoes- Front Calipers rebuild and refurbished by Bigg Redd, including galvanised finish option- Goodridge braided lines on the front brakes- CAE Ultra shifter - this thing feels amazing! - A Pair of brand new OEM Volkswagen Series 1 front wings (with stamps)- Fully retrimmed Series 1 GTI seats in the correct check pattern (work completed by Bromsgrove Trim shop). - Series 1 GTI Wolfsburg steering wheel - Series 1 GTI bumpers- Series 1 panel fitted and welded into the rear of the car (I have retained the original S2 rear panel with the VIN details) - Respray of the rear, sides and front wings - 5. 5j Series 1 GTI wheels, blasted and powder coated by Mikris Finishers- Blockley 175/ 70VR13 classic tyres - Comparable to the pattern of the Pirelli Cintenario tyres that would have come as a standard with the S1 GTI. Tyres stamped 2024, so manufactured in May 2024. I have kept all of the receipts for the above work, which has totalled much more than I care to acknowledge. It’s recently had the following work done in June 2026:- Full oil change and new filter- New rear right wheel bearingNEGATIVE POINTS:- The paint work was done by a family friend and done pretty poorly. There are some visible runs in a couple of places and a bit of overspray in a couple of places. He also forgot to paint the inside of the new S1 rear panel, so this shows as blue on the inside. You can’t see this in normal use. Most wouldn’t be bothered by any of this, but if you were building a show car you would respray it. I’ve polished the paint and enjoyed it as is.- The cooling system is the standard 1. 1 system, which has been totally adequate, but you might consider upgrading the radiator and fitting an expansion vessel (I have new one included with the sale)- As a standard 1. 1 it doesn’t have anti-roll bars fitted. You would need to do this, although the handling seems fine (although I haven’t really driven the car in anger) - I did the mechanical work before the paint and it’s collected a few small scratches from being in different workshops having that mechanical work done. A few small chips on the wheels- The clips on the covers for the rear lights are broken, so are currently taped on. These aren’t expensive to source and are east to fit without tools needed. - The front windscreen has some hazing in the corners. It’s never bothered me.- The left door catch has detached at the back and needs to be refitted. The ConditionCompletely solid and free of rust, commensurate with the condition you would expect from a car that has been garaged its whole life. It’s a Series 2 body, which had far better rust protection than the Series 1 cars. Since completing the work, I have completed around 250k in the car, so all of the work stated above is fresh. It’s an exceptional example and offers you the chance to own and drive something that is indistinguishable from an actual Series 1 Golf GTI, for less than half the price. Pair that with the fact it goes, stops and handles far better than a Series 1 GTI and it’s represents incredible value for the money. I’m selling it because I rarely get to use it due to family commitments. It puts massive smile on my face every time I get into it. V5 Present and in my name. Registered as an historic vehicle, so it’s both MOT and Road TAX exempt. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me or drop me a message. Don’t text me with random offers, I will only sell to somebody I have spoken to first. If the car is still listed, it’s available.
