The VW Golf mk1 Story

[@fedaltouma]

I can’t believe I just watched this for free.This man is a legend to say the least

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I always enjoy Big Car - always great videos.

[@claudiobizama5603]

I quite like how the cargo version was named "Caddy". Just like a golf caddy, who carries the stuff for the golf player 🏌️

[@Loony69]

the few Caddys I've seen did their duty as a work horse for companies, all looked like they went to hell and back

[@gabrielv.4358]

So that's the meaning, very cool

[@blatherskite9601]

German humour.

[@richardmorgan9273]

A colleague had a VW Golf Driver (here in the UK in about 1984) which I think was a limited edition version, again confirming the connection with the sport.

[@ca9968]

The Caddy was a half tonne pick up truck in South Africa, what they refer to as a Bakkie...we had a Nissan, Fiat, Opel, Chevrolet and Ford variety to chose from, all developed from an existing small car platform...

[@ttngubs9311]

I hardly comment on KZbin videos but this really touched my heart. Great history. I'm from South Africa and I remember my father selling his first car so I can go to France for a student exchange program. I come from a poor background and his sacrifice helped to propel me in a different directions from most of my peers in the township. It was a yellow MK1, the car would get stuck now and then but we loved it. This video made me so emotional. God willing, I will buy him a yellow Golf one day as a thank you.

[@mohankang8062]

What a beautiful comment.

[@samuelmbokazi2318]

It is beautiful and very strong.

[@hospagalief]

Aweh

[@AnsieMartins]

I always wondered how my 24 year old son knows so much about classic cars from the 60 till now and I now know how thank you so much for teaching my son he is learning more and more every day much love from South Africa ❤️❤️❤️

[@BigCar2]

😀 KZbin, it's more than cat videos!

[@Klutch58Customs]

Looks like I'm going to be half an hour late to pick my missus up. *Opens beer and sits on sofa*

[@johnlovenhill1]

I’m off beer for the month … that sounds so good

[@KarrierBag]

Low alcohol I hope

[@Klutch58Customs]

@@KarrierBag f**k it. She's got bus fare. Shouldn't have pranged her Celica should she?

[@flori5548]

It’s 2am where I live. Looks like it’ll be 2:30 when I fall asleep.

[@Klutch58Customs]

@@flori5548 "it's five o'clock somewhere" or so the song says.

[@thomasp.4649]

Italian design and German engineering, yes that was the key .🚗 The Golf is one of the car icons in Europe. Look now , boring uniform SUV design everywhere. 😉 Greetings from Germany.🍻

[@MrDuncl]

If you look at the dimensions many of the VW "SUVs" are only about 10cm taller than the current Golf. That said I replaced my Golf MK7 Estate with a Golf MK7.5 Estate. I would have got a VAG Cupra Formentor if it didn't have the hated touch controls.

[@Low760]

And mk8s aren't much to look at again just like mk4s

[@baronvonjo1929]

I'm sorry but that last comment makes no logical sense when the Golf looked nearly identical to so many other European hatchbacks of the time. I genuinely can't tell the difference when I see them in photos. Maybe if I was alive at the time I could tell you the difference. A VW Tiguan looks nothing like say a Mazda CX-5. Or comparing a BMW X5 to a MB GLE. Like what similarities are there that makes the cars indistinguishable to you? If being a SUV means it looks the same as every other SUV then being a sedan or hatchback will make it look like everything else in those body categories. There is a strong argument to be made about branding though. You see one modern VW, Volvo, BMW, Mercedes etc you have quite literally seen all they have to offer in terms of deisgn. Absolutely no passion anymore to make a brands cars standout much. I think Toyota, Kia, and Hyundai are the most notable exceptions where not every single car in the lineup is copying others completely.

[@thomasp.4649]

@@baronvonjo1929 Yes i agree with you in some points .(Golf class/ compact car) Im a child of the 70/80 th , in the 70/80 th you could see from the distance if the car was an Audi,BMW,Mercedes or VW ,Volvo , Citroen etc .. For me the most cars nowadays look more similar and the design is boring .🙂

[@marguskiis7711]

Golf is very boring car

[@thembanjoko2844]

The Mk1 Golf was so iconic that by the time the Mk2 was released in South Africa in 1984, the Mk1 Golf continued to be built and sold in South Africa as the Citi Golf. The Citi Golf became one of South Africa's best selling cars of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s and was sold alongside 4 Golf generations such as the Mk2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. South African Production of the Golf 1 ended in 2009, a 25 year production run and was replaced by the Polo Vivo, which is basically the previous 2 generation Polos for the entry level hatchback segment.

[@paulhargreaves1497]

I had a Citi.....great car.

[@VinDieselS70]

I've seen a few late Citi Golfs in Scotland and they still look rather stylish despite being designed in the early 70s.

[@ca9968]

I took my drivers license test in 1997 in a blue Citi Golf at the Wadeville testing station on the East Rand...then went home to a 1983 Alfa Sud 1.5 Super Hatch...

[@tolkien777]

Was about to say surprised not as much was mentioned

[@mattalki]

I still have my mk1 Rabbit diesel that my family purchased new in 1981. It has around 318K miles on it, and still runs and drives. It's in need of a bit of restoration, which I've started. I was 7 when we bought it, and I used it as my primary vehicle in college. I currently have the Rabbit and a 2015 mk7 Golf TDI. Great cars.

[@Bucketroo]

That's funny! I moved to the US with my parents in 1981 and my dad also bought a Mk1 Rabbit Diesel with a manual transmission as our daily driver. He had failed to notice that diesel was actually more expensive than regular gasoline in the US. We didn't keep it for long.

[@andrewmellon5072]

I changed my 73 1600 variant square back for an 81 1600 diesel L, my fuel costs more than halved. I drove it 280000 miles. The frame rotted out in 91. I bought a 91 1600 diesel Jetta pacific I stopped driving in 12 with 405000 miles because I inherited a better car. I constantly changed wheel bearings and a number of head gaskets.

[@Pobrais]

I still drive ‘my’ Mk1 diesel which my dad bought new in 1982. She still takes my family and I on many road trips and takes the kids to school every morning. (Around 515k on the clock and still counting). Hard ride, slow, a bit smokey and rattly at times but I still love the old girl.

[@mattalki]

@@Pobrais That sounds familiar! Mine doesn't pull daily duty anymore, but it's an '81 that my dad bought new. She's resting in the garage while I start restoring her. I'm starting to document it on my channel 'Matt's Cave'. 515K for a Rabbit is amazing!

[@Pobrais]

Can’t find the channel but I’m very interested.

[@voltaelektrifiera3556]

Finally! I'm saving this for tomorrow when I'm thoroughly rested, this will be my peak 28 minutes this weekend :-)

[@bertranddefrontenac]

Thanks a lot! I was a proud owner of a green 78 golf in 93 to 94. Manual, 4 speeds. The pictures of the dash in this video at 13:00 brought me a lot of great memories back. I've got tears in my eyes thinking about the holiday in the south of France I made with friends in that car. It was fun to drive since in order to get forward, you had to rev it hard if you wanted to exploit its 50 hps. It was super lightweight and the handling was great. No lateral protection, no electronic, no driver assistance, no airbag, no ABS. And it was going well in the snow too. I was young, I had hairs all over my head... Now I have hairs on my chest. I'm driving a BMW with 6 cylinders and 374 hps.... and it is boooooring! When you drive 90, it feels like you are driving 50. When you drive 150, it feels like you're driving 100. And it is heavy as f.... so you can't drive fast on twisty mountain roads. I'm selling it and I'm downgrading to something closer to the Golf MK1. It is not the performances of the car but the felt sensation behind the wheel that counts.

[@macdaniel6029]

One of the best cars of all time. I love my MK2 as a daily driver but the mk1 is simplicity on another level. I bought mine last year and I am completely restoring it. It is truely amazing how simple everything is to disassemble and maintain even compared to the MK2.

[@mauritsvw]

Yes, one should be able to keep a mk1 going indefinitely thanks to its simplicity and parts availability.

[@fastinradfordable]

I put a mechanical 1.9 tdi into my 1981 caddy. It gets 75mpg and is 3x as fast as when it was new. Don’t believe me the 1.9 Ahu tdi was rated 54mpg in a vehicle that weighs 800+ lbs more than a mk1

[@Mike-rk8px]

I live in the US and my first car at age 16 was a 4 year old 1979 Golf (called a Rabbit in the US). It had mostly been kept garages since new because it was owned by an elderly couple who only drove to get groceries once a week. It was bright orange, which I hated, but it was a price my parents could afford. I’ll admit I wasn’t crazy about the car, it wasn’t something a 16 year old car crazy American kid lusted after. BUT once I drove it I was hooked. We lived in a hilly area of western Massachusetts with lots of rural winding roads, and the Golf was a real blast to zip around in. It always felt like you were going much faster than you were, and the handling and transmission were a joy. That car could take corners at speeds that my friends in their American muscle cars couldn’t handle. The next car I bought was a 1985 Golf GTi, which was a mind blowing car to drive.

[@Jon-mf2no]

Great documentary, the quality of your research is amazing and you fashioned it into a great story.

[@anthonygray333]

Awesome video. A first gen GTI is on my bucket list. Growing up in Western Pennsylvania those Westmoreland VWs were EVERYWHERE!

[@drakeorion94]

Friend bought my GTI motor and trans and dropped it in his 1981 scirroco s.

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

Thanks for mentioning the "Hoffmeister Kink", Andy. The 1960s and 1970s Maserati models were also named after winds: Merak, Bora, Khamsin, Khyalami, and so on.

[@trainglen22]

Thank you for a fantastic documentary on what I consider the best car from Germany that is not a Beetle!

[@Redmenace96]

I visited RSA a couple of years ago. Walking around I said, "Wow! Look at that beautiful, restored 1980 VW Golf/GTI !" Then I saw 50 of them. Then it was hundreds. And then I figured out they were still making them in the 2010's, ha,ha! Wanted to buy one and import it. They are cool and very functional.

[@MrOrtmeier]

I'm from South Africa but living in Europe. In 2005 I had returned to Johannesburg after 5 years in Germany and once I got a decent paying steady job bought a Golf Mark II from my mom's best friend who was looking to sell hers. It was red like the picture you showed, but by the time I got it was leaning towards orange 🤣 As old as it was, it was a great car. Spacious, reliable, good looking, good handling, cheap to maintain and well built. I eventually sold it to a co worker who also loved it. Sadly someone t-boned him at high speed and the car was written off. But he came out unscathed. So good was the safety cage.

[@SherwinR89]

Many South Africans are going to go nuts over this video 😂

[@MrOrtmeier]

@@SherwinR89 That's for sure. Citi Golf was a legend. "Red, yellow, blue, not green, red, yellow, blue. Shiny and new, red, yellow, blue." - Best ads ever.

[@prothello]

Golf, Jetta, Polo, Bora and Scirocco are all wind phenomena. One of their rims are called Mistral too.

[@markmiwurdz2248]

And “Passat” comes from the German for “trade winds” - passatwinde.

[@prothello]

​@@markmiwurdz2248I totally missed that one !

[@willgarrod9907]

Your research is amazing…many thanks

[@BlakesPipes]

my very first car was a 1980 VW Rabbit. loved that car! this goes down as one of my most favorite videos. thank you, sent it to my brother, as it was his first. i screwed it up with no oil changes. loved it

[@isaaccan3155]

I’ve owned at least 30 Rabbits (half diesels), 2 Golf’s, Rabbit Truck, and 20 scirocco’s. Not too mention 3 Dashers (Passats) and two Corrados. And that to a half dozen or so Beetles, a Bus, and a Karman Ghia. I can appreciate the effort you’ve put into these videos.

[@isaaccan3155]

And then a few late models Golf’s, Jetta, and Tiquans

[@nadeemchaudhry6585]

OMG thank you so much, my all time favourite car Works on hold for half hour 😅

[@TheEkkas]

I had a Golf MkI diesel around 1990 that was an old beat-up 'farm car'. My dad had a garage (spares+workshop) so we fixed and tuned that little diesel to perfection, brakes, suspension, etc. It was a 'Herbie' type car that could do anything and go anywhere for cheap. We moved refrigerators, double beds, and whatnot, on its roof, towed bigger cars, etc. When glow plugs go bad in the winter and you need to push-start, the car will keep you fit and strong. I managed to drive from Potchefstroom down to past Margate (800km)on +-40l diesel! Never exceeded 100Kmh and was light on the throttle, but the fuel efficiency of those old Golf diesels was astounding. To build a mini-camper, you could take the back seat out (no tools) and 2 bolts let you leave the passenger seat at home as well. Slap a mattress in the flat back and it's camping without the hassle of a tent. Amazing cars took us to places where 4x4s fear to tread.

[@jaac1495]

I have owned a mk1 golf 5 door for almost 5 years now, it has spent a lot of time being broken due to terrible previous owners, it's currently in many pieces having a 2.0L lump from a later golf swapped into it, I just can't give up on the damn thing, these cars are just so pretty and an absolute joy to drive. Great video of my favourite car of all time.

[@mauritsvw]

The mk1s are actually simple cars which should be very reliable and durable once fixed up properly. No complicated electronics, and simple engines.

[@AussiePom]

In Australia a Golf GTi won the Bathurst 1000 race in it's class, well it crossed the finish line in 1st place and then the engine blew up. An ignominious end to a glorious win. My dad had an Atlas white 1976 Mk1 5 door Golf LS 1.6 with a black vinyl interior and kept it after VW exited Australia with spare parts coming from South America. He had the car as a daily driver for fourteen years and in it's old age it became (in mum's words) incontinent. On retiring from the workforce he bought a large caravan but the Golf couldn't haul it so he sold it and the daily driver replacement was a Aussie EA series 2 Falcon wagon NOT an estate. But that's another story. He bought the Golf brand new in 1976 for 6K $. I learnt to practice drive on it as my driving school instructor had a clapped out Mazda 808 sedan. Once I got my P plates being young and stupid I flogged the living daylights out of dad's Golf. Dad was a sedate driver and I introduce the Golf to a whole new style of driving which today I look upon a stupidly reckless. I even managed to do a 360 on a dry road. I also managed to do a 360 in the Golf replacement the Falcon wagon and again on a dry road.

[@robemslie5248]

That's an excellent exposé on a terrific model of car, Andy. I'd love to see your deep dive into the NSU/VW K70 and the complicated story behind the original Audi 100. Both are amazing tales.

[@toineleuverink9905]

It is so massively impressive how you get so much historical information into a perfectly coherent, yet compact documentary. I greatly respect the quality of your work and therefore your channel. Big hats off to you!

[@lakidar1961]

My father bought a Golf in 1974. I bought a Golf V thirty years later. I loved these cars.

[@ii7317]

Regarding design: the "Hofmeister Knick" was designed by Giugiaro and signed into production by Wilhelm Hofmeister, gaining the name.

[@michaeloreilly657]

It was also on Giugiaro's previous masterpiece, the Alfasud.

[@djlondon7956]

You're an absolute Master of this format. Couldn't be better! Fun, informative and relaxing all rolled into one. 🎉

[@FCP501]

As a prideful owner of an old 1984 Caribe GT clone, I thank you for including the great impact this little car had in Mexico!

[@splittin2atoms]

Nice touch to have a little recap at the end. With all the dense information, numbers and names it feels like I learnt a lot more.

[@VinDieselS70]

My first and only Golf was a 1982 facelift wine red metallic Golf GLS 1.6 Automatic i bought off my neighbour in Sweden. I think it was a special version or something as my Gls had the fully black interior with black and white checkered seats from the GTI installed from the factory. I thought it was normal until i drove another gls but with an interior the same as the car itself. I loved my Golf and was relatively quick with the carb 1.6L engine. Thank you for the upload. 👍🏼

[@gabrielv.4358]

Ah yes, The little car that could! The closest we had in Brazil was the Passat GTS Pointer, or the Actually closest one, the Gol GTi from 1989, 2.0L EA827 engine, EFI (First Car with EFI in Brazil) and the engine had a whopping 120hp's and 18kg of torque. Later we had the 2.0L 16v in the Gol GTI G2 (1996), and the last and the rarest and the best was the Gol G3 GTI with an 2.0L 16V 140hps and 200kph top speed! (2001) (And by the way, the Gol BX is really similar to the Golf Mk1. And I absolutely would LOVE to have or the GTi or the Citi Golf 1.6) Nice Video! Also as a curiosity we had in the Gol G3, the Volkswagen 1.0 16v Turbo, making the same power as the 2.0L GTI with 8v engine! Later Ford released the SuperCharged Fiesta with 1.0L and 95hps.

[@gabrielv.4358]

The next generations of VW Gol never had the GTI again, which was really sad...

[@fastinradfordable]

My 1981 vw rabbit pickup with a tdi swap easily does 200km/hr+ And it’ll get 30mpg at that speed.

[@drewwagar]

Just a brilliant brilliant car... and the GTI *was* the first ever "hot hatch". There was no emissions tuning for the 1.8 GTI and it was quicker than the 1.6 to 60 by a second with a 2mph higher top speed.

[@MrDuncl]

That might depend on the country. California emissions regulations sucked the power from most cars in the 1970s.

[@theblackhand6485]

California is not leading. Of you make a overall video about a car sold worldwide then you should use factory settings or mention that only the Californian Golf was tuned back. ...but I'll guess the Californian version of the 1.8 GTi had more torque.

[@drewwagar]

It's a European car first. California was a niche foreign market.@@MrDuncl

[@MrDuncl]

@@drewwagar Surprisingly Mr Big Car is in the USA so Google might have given him the wrong answer. In fact has anyone else noticed the title seems to have changed from Golf to Rabbit.

[@marguskiis7711]

Golf is uncomfortable, narrow, small and very boring.

[@JoeyClacton]

My FIRST car was a 1977 Golf GTI. Which I brought in 1988. Now that was a great first car. And your top speed quote of 113mph… I was clocked at 110mph by the police. Which they registered as 100mph. I already had 8 points on my licence at that point but got an extra 3 points and £100 fine back in 1991. That was a very lucky escape were I could have lost my licence. Thanks for bringing back great memories from 35 years ago!

[@D0zer122]

I owned a 1989 VW Fox that had a 1.3L engine paired with a 4-spd gearbox. My first car. When I sold it it had done more than 384 000km, although I swapped the old engine with a modern 1.4L engine that came out of a VW Golf Mk1 CitiRhythm. The Fox was essentially a stripped down Mk1 Jetta here in South Africa. Loved how massive the boot was…enough space for a family of four in the boot!

[@MrDuncl]

The different names in different markets is confusing. The only VW Fox sold in the U.K. was the similar sized replacement for the Lupo.

[@andrewnorth4857]

Top notch quality as always. Thanks. 😊

[@pllixer8334]

YESS I HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS VIDEO

[@PhilipStorry]

Thanks to Russ for his memories. Clear and honest, just what this discussion needed!

[@hawkeye454]

In 2003 I got my first car, an 81 VW Golf diesel (called the VW Rabbit here in the USA in the 80s) and it was clapped out but I loved it. 48 angry horsepower made it sooooo slow but it got 50mpg in town. I miss that car.

[@christophetardivat234]

Thanks for the video that brought back memories of my second car, a GTI mk1 an early one , red, with 4 speed gearbox and the small rear lights! I was commuting between Paris and the Cotswolds and put it on Q plates, QY 338 if i remember! it was great fun driving up to boulogne getting on the hovercraft. It was before the M25 and a long drive from Dover to Broadway but always enjoyed it. I even put it on Michelin TRX.

[@JohnEvans-ct6mz]

Love the use of an “A-Team” quote at the end. An iconic show, to round off a video about an iconic car. Throw in a Flock of Seagulls song and I would feel as if I were in elementary school all over again.😊

[@VDub615]

As an owner of a Mk2 Gti (1989) small bumper 2door, I can't wait for your Video Great memories, especially when that inside rear wheel takes off during hard cornering

[@MeneGR]

6:28 I believe it would be better not to show more modern cars, at least until we see the Golf for the first time in the video! I enjoyed every second, thank you!

[@BigCar2]

I try not to in general. Thanks for the feedback.

[@k9killer221]

My mother had a Golf in Holland from 1977-1982. When we emmigrated to Australia,and I got my licence, I bought a Golf immediately, and did not regret it. Never let me down and it was bloody fast too (1.6L). In summer it would always run hot (never an issue), but it had this thermostatic radiator fan which would run for minutes even after you got out of the car, hilarious.

[@PiperLund]

My first car was a (I might remember wrong here) 1981 or 1982 Golf C. A three door Golf. I used it to commute to my university studies about 140 km round trip, for about a year. I loved that car even though it was rusty and and a bit unstable in the snow on the highway. This was around 1999. After that my wife and I owned a Mk1 Golf diesel, in 2005/2006, which we crashed with. I remember that the steering wheel got very bent in the crash and the fire departement had to cut the roof since my wife was complaining about pain in her back and they had to secure her back and neck. All went well with her and there was no serious injury, but the car was scrap. We then bought a Mk2 Golf in 2008 and we had that one for about a year. The last Golf we owned was a 2015 Golf 1.6 Diesel which we also loved. The fuel economy was excellent. I have always had a thing for the Golf during the years.

[@andersfalck6633]

My brother had 2, my friend had a GTI, still 4-speed, and eventually I found a used Jetta GLI with same specs and trims, almost. We had indeed fun with them. Thanks for very good recapture, as always.

[@waynemorris8388]

Again I think you. I've had 3 golfs from a 1.6 driver to a Mark 1.3l Ls and a 1.8 comfortable brilliant car's. But my favourite car was the 1.6 110 Bhp Audi 80 GTE in orange. I always like watching your KZbin videos ❤

[@JRL244]

Thank you for showing the Golf some love!

[@BanjoLuke1]

This whole series just about changed everything on the European (and later global) car industry. Golf, Scirocco, Audi 50/Polo and Audi 80/Passat. They just tore it all up and re-wrote everything. That they came off the back of the Type 1, Type 3, Type 4 and K70 just makes it all even more impressive. In those few years in the 1970s, VW-Audi really did tear it all up. Added to which.... Jetta (Golf with a boot).... Karmann Cabrio..... Golf diesel..... Golf GTi..... And so it continued: Later came the Syncro, the Country, the G60 and more. And it all started with the Golf, the Scirocco, the 50/Polo and the 80/Passat.

[@mikemakamo8355]

You can't say "Golf" without mentioning "South Africa" these cars still fill our roads

[@mattjordan6505]

I owned one of the last Citi Golfs(Tenaciti model), came off the line in 2009. It was a 1.4i direct injection in deep dark blue with a purple hue. It came with an MP3 CD player, black headliner and an airbag for the driver. It was a great car, i wish thry hadnt discontinued it. I love your show, from South Africa.

[@SimonGreenway-ih8lh]

Excellent content as always. I had a1980 GTi which i unfortunately sold about 15 years ago and as great a car as it was the rust was a never ending battel to cure

[@elicaul6506]

My Dad bought one of the first Rabbit Diesels in Napa, CA - Al Lyon Motors had a waiting list, and this was a dark Brown C with 'Radio Prep', a 4spd, vinyl seats and that was about it. Dad paid something like $190 additional for an AM/FM radio, I think it was a Becker but it was definitely mono and was played through the dash speaker. It sounded pretty good, actually. We immediately drove the car from California to Minneapolis in the summertime, no A/C, my Mum and Dad intermittently bickering to pass the time in the front seat and my year old sister and I fighting for space in the back seat! Back then it was a challenge to find Diesel anywhere but on the Interstates, but Dad found it it kind of didn't matter. That car got 50+mpg on the freeway, and high 30's around town, so you were never far enough away from the freeway for it to matter. He traded it in for a Rabbit Pickup (Caddy) in 1981 and that was nice because it had a 5 speed transmission, but not as nice because it was also very Westmoreland in feel, where the old Rabbit C was incredibly German all the way down to the sisal mats and the way it smelled. Did any other kid figure out that you could make the radio play, the windshield wipers go and the fan blow by turning on the parking lights and pulling the high beam stalk to 'flash to pass', even with the key removed? Lots of time in parking lots waiting as a kid. Thanks for another awesome, in-depth Big Car video!!

[@mrnexus8seven949]

My friend has a Mk1 GTi in 1986 and we went in it a lot, I loved it. My boss had one which I drove about. Now I am 60 and drive a useful but dull Passat ... if I could get hold of a Mk1 Golf I would, they are beautiful and, for me, is in the top 3 most desired cars ... being a Mini, Golf MK1 GTi and Messerschmitt bubble car. haha.

[@williesjohnson2673]

actually, andy, i'm currently on a search for a golf for my daughter's journey into the world of teenage driving (and parental dread) love the backstory of the car. keep up the good work, your channel is a keeper

[@marcom2248]

As a German, I was in driving school and learned to drive a car with the Golf Mk1 with the 50 HP Diesel engine. It was loud, unconfortable and terribly slow. So I promised myself never to drive a Golf again. Now I 'm 60 years old and kept my promise.

[@mgunther68]

My first car was a 1982 Golf diesel. I bought this in 1993 in Germany for 1,000 Deutsche Mark and it was going strong up to 333,333km in 2000. The Irish government paid 1,000 Pounds (approx. 2,400 DM) in a scrappage scheme at that time, so I actually *made* money with this😆 Great car, I'll never forget it!

[@titiparisien5915]

Excellent. Thank you. I happened to be in Frankfurt during the 1975 Motor Show. That is when they unveiled the Golf GTI. That really was a shock to me. As soon as I was able to buy a new car I got a GTI. Only it was a Peugeot 205 GTI...

[@beatles4sale2007]

Great review, as a previous MK2-7.5 owner VW have tried to replicate the success but rarely achieved any where near success on the same level. A very classless car, seen everywhere on estates, Tesco, Waitrose and in the posh parts of London. A true car for the people….

[@RachaelSA]

South Africa! W000T!!! My dad loved these. I remember when I was about 5, going with him to buy one for my mom, and even though my dad was a hot rod, V8 and "racing car" fan, he was constantly driving her golf. I remember going with him about 6 months later to buy another one, this time for my mom. He must have had about 20 of them over the years and he was constantly modifying them to be faster and faster, and even though I didn't care much for them, I even bought a few to try beat what ever my dad had built. The last one I built was an '83 Mk1 with a 2L 16v and 2 webers. It was kind of quick, my friends referred to it as my Mclaren and because it was white and square, my brother called it my Indesit. And even though they not my favourite cars, I could probably pull the motor, rebuild it and have it back in, in less than 24 hours, on my own, maybe with my eyes closed.

[@maxmix-retrodisco]

Growing up in South Africa I owned x3 Golf Mk1's 🙂🙂🙂 The 3rd one branded as CITI Golf. To this day I have never loved a car as much as my first 1979 SA golf MK1

[@donaldmackay4837]

Still driving it’s descendent in 2024 ad loving it . Brilliant video. More please

[@SaturnCanuck]

That was great. I remember as a kid being in the VW showroom as my dad had his 1975 Beatle serviced and seeing the future of VW -- The Rabbit!

[@ExUSSailor]

My first car was a '79 with the 1.5L N/A diesel, and a 5 speed. It was the perfect car for a broke student. It was too slow to get into trouble with, and, it got 45 - 55 mpg.

[@keithfletcher6123]

That was brilliant - amazing research and access to footage - I’d forgotten about the Burt Kwouk adverts (and ‘something’ fell off / left under the car as he drove off - old style editing ‘nobody will notice’ 😂)

[@billolsen4360]

My first new car purchase was a 1980 Diesel Rabbit/Golf when I lived in Golden, Colorado. Did lots of winter sports at the time and it was ideal for driving into the mountains for backpacking and cross country skiing. Some people thought it was ugly but I thought the round headlamps made it cute. She had an incredible amount of luggage space for her overall size and got me to work during heavy snowstorms, which my old Oldsmobile wasn't always able to do. Especially loved her tailgaters' defense feature...if anyone was following me too close on the highway (as Denver area drivers are prone to do), all I had to do was downshift and hit the accelerator and they'd back off straight away thanks to the blast of black smoke from the tailpipe.

[@davidhinkson8856]

I clicked on this the moment I saw it, because I have always loved this generation of Golf. It's interesting to note that one of the original proposals carried the wheels that were later used on the higher end VW models, and it resembles a car they actually built in Brazil. Russ' account on his experience with the car is a great addition to the video. I remember those ads on TV in England when I was a child, but I didn't realize it was Burt Kwouk. I loved him as Cato, Inspector Clouseau's valet who was always surprising him with crazy karate moves, and I also remember Kenny Everett satirized those ads with the car dropping through the floor!

[@rovingenglishman]

0:26 this footage here perfectly sums up the Mk1 GTI experience, more than any other clip or hr long YT video. The way mine would cock a rear wheel and always, always get me out of whatever ridic too-fast situation I got myself into with that little car

[@Backwardlooking]

Had two of these from now. A 1588cc Golf LS 3 door in Atlas White and the same engined Golf GLS 5 door in Bronze metallic. Changed for Mk 1 Sciroccos. All suffered from rust in the front wings and sills . 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@percarlemil]

Best car telling cannel in the world so so fantastic. LOVE FROM DENMARK

[@matthewshambler2644]

Well put together video and very informative! I will always hold a special place for any Mk1- Golf, Jetta or Caddy. Some random info for those interested; Here in SA we had a 1800cc electronic fuel injection "Citi Golf" called the R-Line, as well as the final run of 1000 Citi Golfs that were branded the "Citi MK1" individually numbered 1 through 1000 (one of which did a country wide tour and people could write farewell messages on the car). Such an iconic bit of history.

[@aaronk534]

My father worked in the U.S. plant. Still see the building daily. I remember the drama over quality and such. Great channel

[@drakeorion94]

I had a west Moreland 1980 rabbit...the points screw would always come loose and the spot welds on the ribs in the roof would vibrate. Still miss that car.

[@aaronk534]

@@drakeorion94 oh that sounds right. It was like the movie Gung Ho. Strikes, labor/managment fights. Quality issues all over. But great cars.

[@klasseact6663]

User are one of the very best on youtube at doing these type of videos comma thank you!

[@katiecannon8186]

Adored my mk7. Adore my mk8 even more. Just keep hoping they bring something similar in size & good looks to North America in an ev format. I’d buy it immediately

[@jamesking2461]

We had a 5 speed 85 cabriolet karmann Ghia growing up. As a 17 year old that little thing was so fun to drive. I would regularly have faster cars challenging me because of the loud exhaust. Nothing like riding around with the top down zipping around town

[@robertmarsh3588]

Great video, thank you. I still recall seeing very early Golfs with great fondness on visits to Germany in the 1970s. I was also lucky enough to see the Wolfsburg factory twice. Later my father had a Mk1 Golf Driver, and I a Scirocco GTX. Lovely car, but appalling brakes, and mine had other issues as it turned out that it had been in an accident before I'd bought it!

[@andrewcocos]

I really enjoyed the story of Daisy! Your friend Russ has a great sense of humor!

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

I had a mk1 1.1L in 1975 [cross-flow head]. New baby, new car and the pram went in the boot easily enough. It lasted until 1988 [100k miles] when I acquired a mk2 1.8L which was extensively modified by TSR [to 2.0L] and could deliver 50mpg. In late 2018 it was sold on at 410,000 miles. The [after sales] golf-ball gear knob has done over 500k miles - all that remains for me, although photos and memories live on . . . !

[@ilovetotri23]

I grew up in a household of aircooled VW's. I owned several. I learned how to rebuild engines with very few tools and a large part supply. My mother bought a 1979 Rabbit(US). It was super unreliable! Electronic nightmare. However, when my dads GM truck blew an engine he bought a 1985 GTI. My brother inherited my mothers 1979 Rabbit. He drove it to about 448,000 miles. He also put a new engine in my dads GM and sold it for what ever he put into it. Most interesting is when my Dad went to upgrade to a newer car my brother got his 1985 GTI. My brother drove it for many years...When I asked my brother how many miles he put on it he, "not sure odometer stopped working at 445, 000. I drive about 45 miles each day. The fuel yank started to leak at some point so I stopped using it as my daily driver. I put a fuel cell in and race it on the weekends".

[@stevencallow2545]

I bought a new Golf R-line a couple of months ago, I had no idea why the door handles portrayed something resembling a gold ball... now I know why!!! Haha. 👍 Thanks for the podcast. 😀

[@desertstar223]

In South Africa in the Western Cape you can still see VW Golfs everywhere.A favourite amongst youngsters of a certain demographic.

[@voltaelektrifiera3556]

Great video! Love watching these stories, typically on Saturday morning with a good cup of coffee.

[@TheRealEtaoinShrdlu]

I had a VeloCiTi as a first car (2005 updated version). Loved the bits off of that thing.

[@mrpachino6014]

I owned a golf mk1 in the 1980s. It drove like a little dream and a real practicle reliable fun car. Also economical and years ahead of its time. Then I bought a Toaureg v8 tdi in 2018. Still amazing and much nicer than anything Japanese etc.

[@benaris755]

Former VW sales here, the official product training we are given states the car names are given for various winds, as you said. So, can confirm this is true

[@alex_n8863]

Great video. My first car was an '83 Golf Driver. Such a great car, so many adventures. So many years later I miss it!

[@ericanderson1691]

I sold my rusty 66 Mustang convertible for a brand new 81 Rabbit convertible. Drove it 140k miles in ten years. It still looked new when I sold it. Fifty personal cars later, I bought a bought a 89 Cabriolet last year with only 80k miles. It just needs a little detailing but looks almost new for being 35 years old.

[@markgatland977]

My first ever car 0:45 ...VKK 205 X...an '82 1.1, but with GTI alloys, worth way more than the car itself, and the red trim around the grill. Manual choke, awful brakes, loved it to bits. Miss it like crazy 😢...500 quid out of Exchange & Mart 😊...then had a MK2 and MK3 straight off the bat

[@dennisstaines8005]

I got into VW's in 1979 and bought a Passat Estate GLS and it was a revelation compared to the Ford Cortina ( I had two as company cars, They were slow thirsty noisy and the suspension managed to have a poor ride and handling). Had the Passat for about two years then I read about the Golf GTI and I was young so I bought one in 1981 (with the five speed gearbox, sunroof & tinted class) it was brilliant seemed to outgun all other cars and I fitted a spoiler (front) which may or not helped but looked cool. It was in black. The engine was so refined. I fitted cruise control not for fuel consumption but prevent speeding tickets. However both the Passat and Golf had a series issue, the brakes. This was because VW were lazy and did not move the brake servo to right side and just used a rod across the bulkhead and this did not put enough pressure and gave me several heart attacks. On the GTI the fix was high friction brake (Mintex) from GTI engineering which were £50 a set (1981 so expensive) and only lasted 10,000 miles. However the car was miles better and it did stop. My last upgrade was fitting Pirelli P6 60 profile tyres and flashy German Alloys and that also put the car to another level. However as I meet a girl and not because of her (she loved the car) but I did too many miles, went back to a company car because the miles. Did buy Mk2 16v later (1987) and then Mk3 8v & 16 V (1995) but sadly the cars were really poor quality the dealers were poor and after a legal row I got my money back and vowed never to buy a VW product again and I have kept to that and have had BMW 's ever since plus my wife has a Mini (BMW bits) and they are much better quality and the aftersales is miles better. I did love my Mk1 GTI and even the MKW 2 16V but standards dropped and were no longer an acceptable product. Diesel gate vindicated my decision and sadly no more VAG products for us even if I like the looks and write ups too much risk.

[@anastasiskaz]

I am studying management science and I have to admit that I love your vocabulary on your videos. Keep it up!

[@vitorafterglowferreira2172]

Fantastic video story for the most important car and the guiding light for the car world since the seventies. Personally, a mk1 diesel was the car where I had my learning lessons and my driving exam, back in 1982! 😊

[@highland96]

Great video, could you do videos on more obscure cars like the Citi Golf and cars built around the world?

[@bultacotrial290]

Great VW video, thank you!! 🤩 A 1984 VW Rabbit Convertible and a 2007 VW Caddy here. Best regards.

[@mikenb3461]

Great video and very informative. Thanks for your work on this (and the other videos too). I've been a Golf fan from the beginning, even though I was only around 8 when they first came to Canada (as the Rabbit). I like how VW has evolved the design over the years but the cars have always been instantly recognizable as a Golf. I've owned more VWs than any other make, so maybe I'm a bit biased, but they are a great car. I've owned a '93 Golf, '95 Jetta Turbodiesel, a '98 Golf, a 2010 Golf Wagon TDI, a '13 Passat TDI (yes, I cheated on the Golf/Jetta), a '19 GLI and currently have a '24 Golf R. Unfortunately, due to the popularity of bloated SUVs and trucks in Canada and the US, the only Golfs now available here are the GTI and R. A regular Golf would serve so many people well. But it did also inspire me to buy my dream car recently - the Golf R. It's instantly recognizable as a Golf, and I like that about it.

[@seanhershey3390]

I had one Ls, 3 GTIs. a Cabrio , & a pickup…good times..( my last one was a 92 GTI 16v..good times.

[@guestmatejek9029]

I love your lego cars in the background. I learned to drive stick and turn a wrench on 79 Scirocco. It had a 1.8i with a cam. Super light and blast to drive (when it was running).

[@2dogs]

I have my Dad's Mk1 Golf GTI. He bought it in 1980, brand new and is sitting in a garage with only 60k miles. Can't wait to have enough money to make it as good as it was back in 1980. Btw the licence plate is ''GTI 1''.