In the lounge bar of motoring life, certain discussions come up time and again. The dangerous allure of TVR. The everyman appeal of the
Mazda MX-5
. The stupidity of buying a used car from anyone not called Paul Garlick.
High up on the list of popular beer-fuelled topics is the one beginning with the assertion that ‘
the first Golf GTI
was the best one’. Unless qualified in some way, ‘best’ is a subjective term, and bottles will soon be flying in all directions. But if anyone changes ‘best’ to ‘fastest’, you’ll be pleased to hear that later on in this piece Shed will be presenting the scientific evidence you need put a quick tin hat on that argument. And the truth is not what you might expect.
Shed takes the view that the Mk4 was the last real Golf. According to this Luddite definition, he has therefore owned several examples of every kind of Golf. The Mk3 is the one he misses the most. In GTI form the 1992 European Car of the Year was smoother-riding, better braked, quieter and more refined than the Mk2 GTI, and arguably more solid feeling than the Mk4 (although that might be another urban myth).
Thankfully, it isn't one of these
Going slightly off-topic for a moment, Shed’s love for the Mk3 was temporarily blotted by the appalling at the time, and somehow even more appalling now, Harlequin model. If this was intended to show that the Germans really did have a sense of humour, it fell flat. The yellow paint they used for it, by the way, was called Ginster Yellow. Who here hasn’t seen that colour on the pavement after topping off a session with a seemingly delicious pasty?
Back to the important matter of the fastest Golf GTI of those first four iterations. Folklore has it that each new GTI has been slower than the previous model. However, like many urban myths, this was an urban myth. Each new GTI was indeed heavier than its predecessor, and Volkswagen’s careful (or stingy, depending on your view) power increases from one model to the next never seemed to be enough to make up for the added lard.
When the Mk4 GTI was released, Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe and BTCC driver Phil Bennett put this ‘newer equals slower’ thing to the test. They took all four GTI iterations from the Volkswagen press museum to Castle Combe, where they achieved the following lap times:
Interior: dour, but solidly put together
Admittedly, the Mk2 they had was practically unused, with a tight engine, so at the end of the day these results may only really show what a difference improvements in grip and braking can make. But if you shout these numbers at your drinking buddies and then immediately change the subject, you’ll very likely make your point stick.
It would certainly be interesting to revisit this test with the same tyres fitted to each car, but in the meantime here’s one of Sutters’ conclusions from the Combe. “The key difference between the Mk2 and the Mk3 is that the later car covers the ground more rapidly, more efficiently if you like, without feeling all that dramatic – which is the precise effect Volkswagen was seeking when it designed the car.”
Ah, for the days of a big red badge in the grille
The Mk3 GTI they tested that day was red. The Shed we’re offering you this week is green, but other than that there’s nowt to choose between them. Many a water pump has passed under the bridge since the Mk3’s 90s heyday, but this one does seem to have been properly sourced by the sort of enthusiast you wouldn't mind chatting to over a pastry-based savoury snack. It’s almost as original as the Autocar one, right down to the correctly-fading steering wheel rim.
We won’t belabour you with the foibles of Golf ownership: any self-respecting PHer should know these by heart. What we will say is that 2009 may not sound all that long ago in the context of world history, but four human years is equivalent to about 83 VW cambelt years, so fitting a new one now would be a wise precaution. Once that’s done, you can enjoy the sunny uplands of tight, 150hp motoring for five, safe in the documented knowledge that your car is faster round a Wiltshire racetrack than any old Mk1 or 2.
Finished in Dragon Green and registered in December 1995 this Golf GTI was the best I could find after viewing several. I purchased the car in August 2009 as a temporary run about and it has been so good I decided to keep it. I am only selling now as a family friend has offered me a newer car at a good price.
Our family business is mechanics and tyres, the car has been serviced four times with us including a cam belt at first ownership in 2009 and rear suspension in 2012. The car has just had a service and a new front tyre for the new owner.
The car has MOT until November 2013 and is currently SORN.
After looking at six other cars in 2009 I was frequently confronted with rust, tears in seats, big wheels that rubbed in arches etc. I saw this one which was advertised as a standard example with *no rust*, and it had an excellent interior and was nice and tight to drive. I bought the car and have tried to keep it in the best condition that I could. Since then it had developed a small rust bubble under the driver’s door seal which I treated and painted in dragon green and it is hidden under the seal. (I only noticed it when cleaning). There is a little lacquer peel now and the odd light scratch here and there but I think this has still got to be one of the best around and with one of the cleanest interiors, no rips or tears anywhere.
Everything works although the fuel gauge is temperamental intermittently.
It drives extremely well, nice and tight for the age and still in standard trim. It has an Alpine CD player (original Sony tape deck and boot changer included in sale), black grill badge and boot sticker are the only things I have changed. It comes complete with good service history with lots of stamps in the book plus the original book pack including all manuals and service book with lots of stamps and old MOTs.
[Harlequin image: Analogue Kid]