VW Golf
1988 VW Golf Mk.1 Convertable
History
The Golf is an historically-important model of automobile, which has been in continuous production from 1974 until the present day. It was responsible for the mass-market acceptance of the hatchback design and created the concept of a hot hatch.
Mk.1 Golf
The first version Golf began production in 1974. Marketed in the United States from 1975-1984 as the Volkswagen Rabbit, it featured the water-cooled, front transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive design pioneered by the Mini with the addition of a hatchback, revolutionizing small car design and manufacture.
While the Golf was not the first design with this layout (that honour going to the Fiat 128 3P of the early 1970s), it was the first to be truly successful in the mass market, and it was this, rather than the Fiat, that was widely copied by others.
The Golf was designed by Italian automobile architect Giorgetto Giugiaro, of the Ital design studio. A version of this original Golf model is still produced in South Africa as an entry level car.
The GTi version, launched in Europe 1977 and the US in 1983, created a whole new genre and market of car - the hot hatch, and was widely copied by all other manufacturers since.
Mk.2 Golf
The second generation Mark 2 Golf was launched in 1983 and featured a larger bodyshell and a wider range of engine options, including a turbo-diesel, a 16-valve version of the GTi and the supercharged G60.
Mk.3 Golf
The third generation Golf was elected Car of the Year in 1992. For the first time a station wagon derivative was produced.
Mk.4 Golf
The Mk.4 was the heaviest, largest and slowest version to date, but still became the biggest selling car in Europe at one point. The Mk.4 was a deliberate attempt to take the Golf further upmarket, with a high-quality interior and higher equipment levels.
Mk.5 Golf
The 5th generation started to sell in November 2003. For the presentation of the new Golf Wolfsburg was renamed to Golfsburg for a week.
Variants
The sedan version of the Golf was the Jetta, subsequently known as the Vento (from 1992) and later as the Bora from 1998, although the Jetta name is stil used in North America and South Africa.
A convertable version was also produced for the Mk.1, Mk.3 and Mk.4 varients.
External links
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