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An army made up of hundreds of Volkswagen GTIs blocked traffic around Volkswagen’s historic factory in Wolfsburg
It looked – and sounded – like the firm’s hot hatch loyalists had convened to march straight into the Ford Focus ST camp in Cologne and burn it down.
The GTIs didn’t charge into an oily, metallic battle. They trekked out to their home town to participate in the second annual GTI Coming Home meeting held on the first Saturday of September 2018. Fans from all over Europe celebrated the GTI and, more often than not, the great many tuning possibilities it opens up. Anything VW that wears a GTI badge is OK, so we're not talking about just Golfs. And as we'll see, there were a few interlopers as well.
Here are some of the highlights Autocar spotted at the event:
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Anything goes
Volkswagen welcomed every kind of GTI, from the first-generation Golf-based model to the newest Polo and anything in between. Some cars remained factory-fresh but an overwhelming majority of them were modified to one degree or another.
We also noticed that a few cars not on the GTI family tree snuck into the event, like a limited-edition Golf Rallye, several GTDs, and a Tiguan with the approximate ride height of an Italian supercar.
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It runs in the family
Volkswagen seemingly attracts more tuning enthusiasts than other brands. Classic models like the Beetle, the Bus, and the older generations of the Golf often receive modifications ranging from fairly straight-forward suspension and wheel upgrades, as seen on this first-generation Golf made in 1975, to custom paint jobs and completely bonkers engine swaps.
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The other end of the spectrum
The tuning world thinks well of newer models, too. This sixth-generation GTI wears a shade of pink that looks like it comes straight from the Hot Wheels catalog. It’s so low that we could barely slip a hand between the front bumper and the ground. Driving it without scraping the underbody on the slightest bump in the road requires careful planning.
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The slowest GTI
Volkswagen used this Golf to transport attendees between the event and its Autostadt complex. Commissioned in the 1970s by Wolfsburg officials, it originally took visitors on a tour of the city’s main sights. Volkswagen found it in a decrepit state and gave it a complete restoration.
It’s not as stock as it looks, according to the company. It’s a Golf LS powered by a 110hp GTI engine and fitted with a special two-speed automatic transmission. The braking system is original, surprisingly, but the trailer it pulls relies on air brakes to slow itself down.
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Blank canvas
Many of the seventh-generation GTIs we spotted at the event were fully stock down to the wheels they left the factory with. As we walked through the assembled cars, we wondered how many of the new or near-new machines in attendance will be painted, lowered or both in just a few years’ time.
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Purple VR6
The proud owner of this Polo left almost no component untouched. Aside from the obvious, namely the lustrous purple paint and the matching BBS wheels, the hatchback receives a powerful VR6 that barely fits in its engine bay in spite of its narrow-angle layout. We couldn't get technical specifications but it undoubtedly packs more power than Volkswagen ever envisioned for the humble third-generation Polo.
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The original Polo GTI
Volkswagen replaced the Polo G40 when it launched the original Polo GTI in 1998. Based on the third-generation model, it offered a 1.6 16-valve four-cylinder engine rated at 91hp. The firm made 3000 units for the European market. Enthusiasts who longed for the original Golf GTI scooped up the entire production run in record time.
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Wolf in sheep’s clothing
Volkswagen designed the Golf Limited as a low-key hot hatch that could pass as a standard second-generation model at first glance. Mission accomplished. Most show-goers walked right past the rarest car on display without thinking twice.
The Limited is no ordinary Golf. Starting with a four-door body, Volkswagen added a long list of features including leather upholstery, power windows, and a sunroof. It then installed a supercharged 16-valve four-cylinder engine rated at 210hp and a Syncro four-wheel drive system. In other words, it created a quicker Golf Rallye with four doors and without the attention-grabbing wheel flares.
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One of 71
Designers left the exterior nearly stock. The Limited received bright blue accents and Motorsport emblems on both ends but it settled for a basic two-headlight front end. Volkswagen built only 71 examples and most of the production run ended up in the hands of the firm’s top executives. In comparison, Bugatti will cap production of the Chiron after it makes 500 examples.
The Limited remained the most powerful series-produced Golf ever made until Volkswagen released the 240hp R32 model in 2002.
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Rallye-ready
Many Golf Rallye replicas attended the GTI Coming Home event, but this dark blue example was one of the two authentic ones we saw in the parking lot. Volkswagen introduced the Rallye in 1989 as a homologation special. It used a supercharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and the firm’s Syncro all-wheel drive system. It's the Golf R's predecessor.
Volkswagen made 5000 examples and never followed through with its plans to sell the model in the US.
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120 more
The color-changing wrap is the tip of the iceberg for this seventh-generation GTI Clubsport. Modifications made to the turbocharged 2.0 engine bump its output to 380hp, about 120 more than stock and 80 more than a Golf R. Reliably reaching that point required upgrading the cooling system. Keeping torque steer in check is an entirely different story, though.
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From South Africa
Though it looks like a fairly normal four-door Golf at first glance, this is one of the more unusual cars we spotted in the GTI Coming Home parking lot. It’s not a GTI; it’s a Citi Golf manufactured in South Africa.
Volkswagen’s South African division continued making the first-generation Golf until 2009 and positioned it as its entry-level model. The Citi came exclusively with four doors and it was never sold outside of its home country. Seeing one in Europe is a rare treat.
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The GTI’s swoopier sibling
In 2018, Volkswagen’s GTI line-up includes the Up, the Polo and the Golf. In 1976, buyers could choose between the Golf and the Scirocco. Both used a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, a fuel-injected unit tuned to send 110hp to the front wheels. The only Scirocco GTI we saw at the event is this red example, which is lowered but otherwise mostly stock. It’s in like-new condition.
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G60
Volkswagen dropped the Rallye’s supercharged 1.8-liter engine in the standard, front-wheel drive GTI to create the G60. Launched in 1989, it offered 160hp – 20 more than a 16-valve GTI – and a five-speed manual transmission. This example is in stellar condition. It’s stock with the exception of a lowered suspension. Volkswagen also brought its own G60 to the event.
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If cars could talk...
Every car has a story. This mk3 Golf’s is one of the more remarkable ones we heard.
Serial Volkswagen tuner and builder Jamie Orr found it parked at a generic used car lot in the Wolfsburg area a day before the start of the GTI Coming Home event. It was an all-original entry-level example with a full service history. He bought it and, with the help of a team, made the modifications you see overnight in his hotel’s parking garage.
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Underrepresented
The fourth- and fifth-generation GTIs were underrepresented at the GTI Coming Home event. Enthusiasts showed a strong preference for older or newer models. Volkswagen brought this 2002 four-door example from its own collection. It shows that, fully stock, the fourth-generation GTI was reasonably difficult to tell apart from a run-of-the-mill Golf.
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GTI perfection
This second-generation GTI won us over. It’s a desirable 16-valve model that looks as good as it did on the day it left the factory. It’s fully stock inside and out, we couldn’t find a single modification, and it’s finished in an uncommon shade of green that suits the second-generation Golf’s design particularly well.
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Easy does it
The third-generation GTI is slowly but surely entering the world of young classic cars. Enthusiasts shunned it for years so many examples ended up driven into the ground by a succession of owners with a murky notion of routine maintenance. This lightly modified example was one of the cleaner ones that drove to the GTI Coming Home event. We expect the number of enthusiast-owned third-generation cars will increase in the coming years. The model’s value will, too.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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R32
The R32 isn’t a GTI but it earned the right to park among them.
Volkswagen began experimenting with the idea of a high-performance six-cylinder Golf when it dropped its VR6 engine in the third-generation GTI. It turned the dial up to 11 with the original R32, which made its debut in 2002. The 3.2-liter six sent 240hp to the four wheels through a dual-clutch automatic transmission – a first for a production car – and Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system. American-spec models came with a manual gearbox.
An evolution of the R32’s powertrain later equipped the Audi TT. The same basic engine also powered entry-level variants of the Porsche Cayenne and the Volkswagen Phaeton.
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Lupo GTI
Yes, Volkswagen actually made a Lupo GTI; this isn’t someone’s home-brewed project. The pocket-sized Lupo’s engine bay welcomed a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 125hp on tap and a six-speed manual transmission that spun the front wheels. Compact and nimble, the Lupo also received a GTI-specific body kit and sport seats for the front passengers.
Production lasted between 2001 and 2004. In 2018, its spirit lives on in the excellent Up GTI.
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