GTI! GTI!” like a bunch of unruly Bayern Munich Fußball-Bundeslinga fans. Keep your jerseys on, people, we’ll get there in a bit. First though, a look at the Mk1 Golf’s more pragmatic side.

The Golf Mk1 went into production in March 1974 ... a displacement of between 1,093 cc and 1,781 cc. The most powerful GTI models had either a 1.6- or 1.8-liter engine depending on the model ...

This first-generation Golf GTI is a painful reminder of this. In around 2009 my shortlist for a characterful, fun car was narrowing, and a Mk1 Golf GTI was one of the few remaining candidates.

The mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI was far from the immaculate concept it may have seemed at its 1975 Frankfurt show debut. A ‘hot’ version of the Giugiaro-penned front-drive replacement for the 35 ...