Dear readers of Car-Shooters, today we will talk again about the Golf GTI and its history. You will have understood how much we like beautiful stories, those that tell about genuine passions. Above all you will also have understood how much we like to compare the past and present of a car to outline its evolution of style, improvements and personality. These are stories that link past and present in a harmonious synthesis.
I’m happy to repeat this experiment today with a car that you know is one of my favourites, as I have told you in the previous article. Let the Golf GTI challenge begin! We are with Lorenzo, owner of this Golf GTI MK1, which we will compare with the MK 7.5 that we have for a test drive.
We are located in the municipality of Quarrata (Tuscany, Italy), guests of Villa la Magia, a place of great architectural prestige, recognized as a UNESCO heritage site since June 2013. In this famous Medici villa there was a historic meeting, during a hunting trip, between the Duke Alessandro de ‘Medici and the emperor Charles V in 1536.
Between the past and present of Golf GTI, much has changed. Created two years after the Golf, the Golf GTI MK1 stood out at the 1976 Frankfurt Motor Show as the first compact sports car. Today the MK7.5 stands out for the incredible technological equipment.
The difference between the two is marked but the desire to entertain the driver is always present. The Golf GTI MK1 is also popular now for its “analog” essence. We find contact with the mechanics, pure and raw, without filters.
The aspirated engine offers sensations of the past. There are no electronic controls, hardly an error is forgiven. The front wheel drive helps, but certainly the approach when you drive this type of car is different, certainly more respectful.
And it is with this legacy in mind and in the heart that Lorenzo is passionate about the brand. That inexplicable affinity that is created between owner and brand, almost intimate, that does not need words to be explained was born. So in 2000 Lorenzo bought his first Golf mk4 1.9 tdi 115cv with which he began to discover the fabulous world of Italian golfers, beginning to attend the brand’s rallies both in Italy and abroad. This is also part of the Golf experience, as Lorenzo tells us, that thanks to the meetings he met many friends with the same passion and enthusiasm that still binds them to this day.
But Lorenzo had something else in mind and began to look for an original version. The summer of 2014 is a turning point, Lorenzo does not stop looking for a car that can do to his case in the vicinity, scrutinizing the dedicated online sites. Until he finds one in the area of Lucca. In September of that year he realized his dream, becoming the owner of this Golf GTI MK1.
A first series of which Lorenzo speaks to us with shining eyes of emotions, describing the narrow headlights at the rear and the dashboard with its original instruments with the cone-shaped glass that he particularly loves. Despite being semi-restored and well maintained, it was not yet perfect. And it is perfect that Lorenzo aspired.
With great commitment, Lorenzo went to look for the original car radio of the time. Another gem was to find the original fabrics and make a professional upholsterer redo the seats, which needed a restoration
If we compare the two models, we note that some distinctive features have remained almost unchanged, just like the seats, with almost identical texture, as if the time had not passed.
Even the logo, stands out from every side of the MK1 just like in the MK7.5.
Beyond the aesthetic perfection, the machine has never really needed interventions to its own vital elements, and has always been reliable from day one. He tells us that after 2 days after the collection immediately wanted to participate in a rally in Rovigo, blindly trusting a car with more than 30 years on his shoulders without even knowing its strengths and weaknesses.
In December 2015, Lorenzo finished his meticulous restoration work bringing his GOLF GTI MK1 to a 99% authenticity and obtaining the ASI recognition, ‘gold plate’ as a fully restored car. To date he is still proud to have this amazing GTI that is part of himself and his family and that it is no coincidence that it will be the car with which he will bring the woman of his life to the altar for getting married in September.
Year after year the Golf GTI has changed, the size increased, the power increased, the comfort increased. Over the decades the Golf GTI has improved, has become more precise on the road, faster, more effective. To stay ahead of the competition Golf GTI has evolved, retaining its charm.
Article: Edoardo Mascalchi
Pictures: Edoardo Mascalchi, Federico Schipani
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