Volkswagen Golf GTI: A history lesson

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Volkswagen Golf GTI

The GTI began as a secret project among an enthusiastic group of Volkswagen engineers in 1973 but by the time the Mk 1 version was launched in June 1976 it was an instant classic.

It has become perhaps the most iconic of all hot hatches and as the sixth generation is unleashed later this week the Carsales Network is looking back on the history of the German machine.

Test engineer Alfons Lowenberg had the idea for a hotted-up version of the new VW hatch in March 1973 and enlisted the help of a handful of fellow engineers and the marketing department to get a prototype GTI built.

By 1975 a prototype based on a Scirocco chassis had been built and was demonstrated to the company's management. The covert team was then given the go ahead to build an official series of prototypes in time for the Frankfurt Motor Show that year.

Power for the first model came from an Audi developed 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine. The fuel injected unit (hence the name GTI: Gran Turismo Injection) produced 81kW, and while that may seem tame by today's standards, back in '76 it was good enough to make it the fastest VW ever made.

After a facelift in '79 the GTI got its first performance upgrade in 1982 with the introduction of a 1.8-litre engine that upped power to 82kW before the first Pirelli Edition was created the following year.

Mk 2
The longer and larger second generation Golf also spawned a new GTI in 1984. Initially power came from the same 1.8-litre 82kW engine before the introduction of catalytic converters saw it drop to 79kW.

A year later a facelift heralded the arrival of the classic dual headlight look. A new 16 valve engine was introduced in 1986 -- a 1.8-litre unit that pushed power back up to 102kW.

The Mk 3 GTI had a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine but power was only 85kW at launch; only four kW more than the Mk 1 despite 15 years separating the two models. The 16V added in 1992 lifted it to 110kW.

In 1996 the first diesel engine was installed in a GTI with the '20 Years of GTI' range including a 1.9-litre TDI model that pumped out 88kW.

Mk 4
The simplicity of the original was well and truly gone by 1998 when the fourth generation GTI hit the road. It was now a three-model line-up including a diesel and two petrol engine versions.

A 110kW 1.8-litre turbo heralded the first forced induction model available worldwide after a supercharged version of the Mk 1 wasn't offered outside Germany. In addition to that there was VW's quirky 2.3-litre V5 pumping out an identical 110kW and the 1.9 TDI, still with 81kW.

Mk 5
With the launch of the Mk 5 GTI the new model saw a return to the car's wild roots. The mild treatment that had blunted the two previous generations was gone.

Instead the Mk 5 was loaded with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that offered 147kW to make it the most powerful GTI up to that point. With the choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed double clutch DSG gearbox the Mk 5 proved a global smash hit again.

VW Australia has reintroduced a Pirelli Edition of the Mk 5 with an upgrade version of 2.0 TSI to tide over the GTI faithful until the Mk 6 arrives. Producing 169kW the Pirelli Edition GTI is the most powerful production GTI ever produced.

After years of being overtaken to upstart hot hatches the VW classic had rediscovered its mojo. And in doing so it has created a high benchmark for the Mk 6 to live up to.

Mk 6
Originally unveiled as a thinly disguised concept at the Paris Motor Show in 2008 the new GTI is due to go on sale in Australia later this year. It will be powered by a new 2.0-litre version of VW's TSI engine range that will be good for 155kW.

Check back later this week for our full coverage from the global launch of the Mk 6 in Europe including full technical details and our first drive impression.