Volkswagen celebrates Golf's 50th birthday

Open gallery Mk1 Golf arrived in 1974 and the GTI (pictured) in 1976 We found the Mk1 Golf GTI to be "most impressive" Curiously, Mk1 Golf production ended only in 2009 Close News 5 mins read 29 March 2024 Follow @charliejmartin_ The Volkswagen Golf turns 50 years old today, the Mk1 having entered production on 29 March 1974. Since then, the company has made more than 37 million examples of the Golf, which means it's the third best-selling car of all time. It has existed in a multitude of different forms, ranging from the original hatchback to a drop-top and the Jetta saloon variant. Related articles The first-generation Golf, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, landed in the UK in October 1974. It was met with critical acclaim, with Autocar’s January 1975 road test stating that “there is no comparison between the Golf and the Beetle”. We went on: “The Golf is quicker, roomier, more stable, better-handling and more economical.” It wasn’t perfect, though. Testers noted that it had a questionable driving position, poor brake feel under high loads and a harsh ride.  Nonetheless, our summary was positive: “The Golf is certainly a very strong contender in its class: it would be more so at a more modest price, but even so Volkswagen (GB) are clearly right in anticipating that it will increase their market share in 1975 and become their biggest seller.” And so it proved, as it took only two and a half years for VW to produce its millionth Golf, hitting the milestone in October 1976. That same year, the now-revered GTI joined the line-up. Its 1.6-litre powerplant swapped carburation for mechanical fuel injection, bumping power to 108bhp. Chassis changes included the fitment of stiff anti-roll bars, Bilstein dampers and a 20mm drop in ride height. Wheel-arch extensions, a red stripe around the grille and – initially, at least – a choice of either red or metallic silver paint completed the package. Latest Reviews View all car reviews Read our review Car reviewVolkswagen GolfEurope’s biggest-selling new car, in eighth-generation form, joins the tech revolutionRead our review Back to top Our first impressions were that the power “meant that one had to be sensible with the throttle” and we found the handling to be “most impressive”.  Although it was not the first hot hatch – the Simca 1100ti is often credited with that title – the GTI did popularise the format. In 1982, a car meet for GTI owners convened for the first time at Wörthersee lake in Austria. In the years thereafter, Wörthersee came to represent Mecca for the GTI cult, with the meet gaining official VW sponsorship in 2006. This year’s edition will be hosted in Wolfsburg, however, after officials in Wörthersee prevented last year’s gathering on environmental grounds. As for the cooking Golf, a diesel engine joined the line-up in 1976, and drop-top and saloon bodies (the latter named Jetta) were added three years later. Curiously, Mk1 Golf production ended only in 2009, owing to its popularity in South Africa. A second-generation car arrived in 1983, prioritising efficiency and interior space with a larger, curvier body. Autocar's testers preferred the contemporary Vauxhall Astra for its combination of ride, handling and practicality, but noted that the Golf ran it a close second. The GTI gained a 1.6-litre 16-valve engine in 1986 that boosted power to 139bhp and outgunned several turbocharged rivals. A supercharged G60 model arrived four years later, kicking out 160bhp, but it wasn’t offered in right-hand drive – a decision we called “entirely unjustifiable”. Back to top In addition to hotter GTIs, the Mk2 Golf spawned a variety of niche special editions, including the Country, a 4x4 conversion by Austria’s Steyr-Puch involving a 120mm lift in ride height, the fitment of bull bars and chassis reinforcements, and flashy mountain-motif graphics. There was also the Golf G60 Limited, a spiritual ancestor of today’s Golf R. A 71-car special-edition made by VW Motorsport, it packed 40bhp more than the regular G60 and sent it through all four wheels. Visually, though, it was identical to a regular Golf GTI, marked out only by its blue grille surround and graphite-grey paint. The third-generation Golf came in 1991, adding a V6 engine – the narrow-angle VR6 – and an estate variant. The VR6 was notable for bringing the hot hatch into contention with premium executive cars, beating the BMW 325i in a November 1991 test. Back to top Volkswagen followed this thread with the fourth Golf, launched in 1997. It majored on quality and refinement, with a better interior than that of premium sibling Audi’s A3. Great qualities for the cooking versions, but the GTI was something of a letdown dynamically, with a duller turn-