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The Traditional
Volkswagen GTi
Roadtest by Don Booker MBE
 The Morgan 4/4 has just celebrated the longest production run for a car, 70 years. It is still being hand-made, and still rolling off the production line is the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
That is after 30 years and while Morgan offered just 142 cars to mark their milestone, VW are now offering the special Golf GTI Edition 30. Two remarkable feats, for the Morgan is the best of British while the Volkswagen empire after the second world war was resurrected by Major Ivan Hirst, from Huddersfield.
This fastest and most powerful production Golf GTI starts celebrations as 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the original hot hatch. That is the Golf GTI Mark One that was sitting in the car park alongside the newcomer.
Despite three decades having passed since the defining GTI was conceived, the spirit of the original is still very much alive in the Edition 30.
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Under the bonnet is a very lively uprated version of the 2-litre engine, which develops 230bhp mated to a six-speed gearbox sending power to the front wheels. This icon of the GTI world will spring from 0 to 62mph in 6.8 seconds and reach 152mph.
Lines are less sharp than the original car and there are new body-coloured side skirts paired with a new chin spoiler for the front bumper and a body-coloured rear bumper. It sits on 18-inch alloys.
Take a look inside and there are special sports seats in cloth trim finished with leather side bolsters and headrests. The distinctive golf ball gear knob, so famous in the Mark One, makes a comeback.
There are silver sill plates with special Edition 30 logo and of course a leather rimmed steering wheel with red stitching – it just had to be.
Specification is high with anti-lock brakes, electronic stabilisation programme, six airbags, radio-CD player, electronic climate control and twin chrome exhaust pipes.
VW are offering 1,500 of their special editions at £22,295 for the three-door and £500 extra for the five-door. Three doors look smarter on a sporty model.
When the first VW Golf GTI was offered in 1977, Leo Sayer was number one, Star Wars gripped a generation of youngsters and the Golf GTI cost £5,217. When the Mark One was phased out in 1984, over 19,500 had been sold.
Published Summer 2007. All information correct at time of print
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