Discussion
Here’s my precious: a 1984 MK2 Golf GTI.
This is my sixth Golf and my second MK2 GTI. My first Golf was discovered in a garage during a house viewing in 1994 and the owner said I could have it for £100 as long as I bought the house - which I did! It was a 1981 1.1C 3 door in Mars Red. It was tatty but sound and I ran it for 2 years, covering 30K miles between Yorkshire and Dorset where I was working. I have since owned 2 other Mk1s (a 1983 1.3C 5 door and a 1.8 GTI Convertible) plus a 1992 MK2 GTI 5dr and a 2000 MK4 TDi.
I bought the car in April 2014. I had been looking for an affordable and practical modern classic for about six months, and every time I browsed the classifieds it was MK2 Golf GTIs that ticked the most boxes, although many had been modified or were rusty. I spotted my latest GTI on a popular classic car website. Although I was originally looking for another late model 5 door GTI with PAS, electric windows etc., the car was local and you don’t see many one-owner MK2s so I decided to go and see it as soon as I could, even though it was a 3 door and had no PAS. It took a frustrating few days to get to see the car because the house where it was kept was empty as the owner had passed away.
When the car was finally driven out of the garage into the daylight I was bowled over by how fresh it looked. The paint hadn’t faded at all and even the often-perished window rubbers and Pirelli P600 tyres looked fresh. It looked like it was 3 years old, not nearly 30, and had obviously been garaged from new. I knew immediately that I had to own it. A brief test drive revealed heavy and vague steering, which I put down to lack of use and low tyre pressures. The steering is now lighter after regular use, correct tyre pressures and tracking adjustment. It is still quite heavy when parking though.
As found:
Finished is Mars Red, this ‘launch spec’ MK2 GTI was built in November 1984 and shares several features from the outgoing MK1 GTI, including twin side stripes instead of rubbing strips, plain bumpers, quarter lights, a single exit exhaust, some switchgear and Pirelli P-slot alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P600 tyres. The black, red and orange interior is unique to 1984 MK2 GTIs and uses a similar tweed material to the MK1. I like the fact that it’s a bit of a crossover between the MK1 and the MK2. I was surprised to see the illuminated gear change indicator as I didn't realise that MK2 Golfs were fitted with these. It sometimes gets mistaken for a MK1, probably due to the colour, the side stripes and the Pirelli wheels.
The seller, a friend of the late owner, told me the car was the first MK2 GTI sold in Sheffield - by Gilders of Hillsborough. Gilders serviced the car for many years and carried out all the MoT tests. The late owner was a scientist and amateur astronomer and cosseted the car from new. It was always garaged and although used as an everyday car for the first seven years, when the time came for a newer car he kept the Golf for occasional summer use as he couldn’t bear to part with it. The history file is quite incredible, with every document imaginable, including vehicle order, delivery documents, salesman’s business card, mirror hanger with checklist signed by the salesman on the day of delivery, every MoT certificate, every tax disc, original sales brochure, letters from VW UK etc. The first owner, who was a scientist, kept a hand-written log detailing every tank of petrol used, cost per gallon, amount purchase, RON and average MPG achieved on the computer. The best figure he recorded was 42.4 MPG. He did this religiously from the day of delivery with 30 miles recorded to over 106,000 miles, until his untimely death. He fitted good quality seat covers and rubber mats from new and once the seat covers were removed, the rare and often tatty seats with red piping were luckily in remarkable condition with no holes or any other damage apart from the driver's seat base being dirty due to ingrained dust from the foam lining of the covers. After professional cleaning they now look great. The boot area is unmarked and it appears that nothing has ever been in there. The first owner was a bachelor and had no children or pets, which probably helped. The space-saver spare wheel, tools and jack are unused. The car came fitted with a '90s Phillips radio cassette and also with its original Blaupunkt Hamburg push-button radio that I have now re-fitted along with a VW fader switch to operate the rear speakers. The paintwork is all original and considering the car has covered over 110,000 miles, the fact that the car has very few stone chips or dents is petty remarkable and a testament to the care bestowed by its first owner.
Original tax disc & holder:
Pre-delivery checklist from day of delivery, signed by the salesman:
Original Gilders key fob:
Circa 1993 Pirelli P600s:
The car hadn’t been used much during the last few years, with sometimes as little 20 miles covered between MOTs, so it was driven to Gilders and then back again. The gear linkage bushes were worn and have now been replaced. The guard for reverse gear was broken so it made setting off at junctions interesting to begin with. The original paintwork looked really good at first glance but closer inspection revealed that it was covered in tiny metal dust particles that were embedded in the paint. The previous owner worked in the steel industry so that would explain where they came from. To date I have removed around 95% of the particles using clay bars and gentle compounds but I keep finding small areas that I have missed. The metal particles have left tiny marks in the paintwork, especially on the roof and bonnet, but when it is polished you’d have to look very closely to spot them. Since purchasing the car I have replaced the incorrect later twin exhaust with the correct single pipe silencer. I have replaced the original steering wheel with a 1983 Momo Cavalino wheel with a thicker rim, which I personally prefer, especially when parking. The VW grille badge had been painted red at some stage but this has now been restored back to black and the non-original red tape that had been applied to the bumpers was removed. I have also replaced the cam belt and tensioner as the previous change was in 1992. The original GTI front grille badge was missing when I purchased the car. As these are NLA I kept searching on the internet for good one. After around six months one came up on Ebay that was actually in Sheffield so I luckily managed to buy it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was the original badge from my car, that had been found in an upstairs drawer when the late owner’s house was cleared for sale.
My plans are to drive it regularly and keep it original as possible. It will never be a concours car, but its originality and history seem to find favour with many people when I display it.
The car was voted ‘Best in Show’ at the recent PH / VW Golf GTi Open, which was both remarkable and flattering considering the number of pristine Golf GTis that were in attendance!
This is my sixth Golf and my second MK2 GTI. My first Golf was discovered in a garage during a house viewing in 1994 and the owner said I could have it for £100 as long as I bought the house - which I did! It was a 1981 1.1C 3 door in Mars Red. It was tatty but sound and I ran it for 2 years, covering 30K miles between Yorkshire and Dorset where I was working. I have since owned 2 other Mk1s (a 1983 1.3C 5 door and a 1.8 GTI Convertible) plus a 1992 MK2 GTI 5dr and a 2000 MK4 TDi.
I bought the car in April 2014. I had been looking for an affordable and practical modern classic for about six months, and every time I browsed the classifieds it was MK2 Golf GTIs that ticked the most boxes, although many had been modified or were rusty. I spotted my latest GTI on a popular classic car website. Although I was originally looking for another late model 5 door GTI with PAS, electric windows etc., the car was local and you don’t see many one-owner MK2s so I decided to go and see it as soon as I could, even though it was a 3 door and had no PAS. It took a frustrating few days to get to see the car because the house where it was kept was empty as the owner had passed away.
When the car was finally driven out of the garage into the daylight I was bowled over by how fresh it looked. The paint hadn’t faded at all and even the often-perished window rubbers and Pirelli P600 tyres looked fresh. It looked like it was 3 years old, not nearly 30, and had obviously been garaged from new. I knew immediately that I had to own it. A brief test drive revealed heavy and vague steering, which I put down to lack of use and low tyre pressures. The steering is now lighter after regular use, correct tyre pressures and tracking adjustment. It is still quite heavy when parking though.
As found:
Finished is Mars Red, this ‘launch spec’ MK2 GTI was built in November 1984 and shares several features from the outgoing MK1 GTI, including twin side stripes instead of rubbing strips, plain bumpers, quarter lights, a single exit exhaust, some switchgear and Pirelli P-slot alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P600 tyres. The black, red and orange interior is unique to 1984 MK2 GTIs and uses a similar tweed material to the MK1. I like the fact that it’s a bit of a crossover between the MK1 and the MK2. I was surprised to see the illuminated gear change indicator as I didn't realise that MK2 Golfs were fitted with these. It sometimes gets mistaken for a MK1, probably due to the colour, the side stripes and the Pirelli wheels.
The seller, a friend of the late owner, told me the car was the first MK2 GTI sold in Sheffield - by Gilders of Hillsborough. Gilders serviced the car for many years and carried out all the MoT tests. The late owner was a scientist and amateur astronomer and cosseted the car from new. It was always garaged and although used as an everyday car for the first seven years, when the time came for a newer car he kept the Golf for occasional summer use as he couldn’t bear to part with it. The history file is quite incredible, with every document imaginable, including vehicle order, delivery documents, salesman’s business card, mirror hanger with checklist signed by the salesman on the day of delivery, every MoT certificate, every tax disc, original sales brochure, letters from VW UK etc. The first owner, who was a scientist, kept a hand-written log detailing every tank of petrol used, cost per gallon, amount purchase, RON and average MPG achieved on the computer. The best figure he recorded was 42.4 MPG. He did this religiously from the day of delivery with 30 miles recorded to over 106,000 miles, until his untimely death. He fitted good quality seat covers and rubber mats from new and once the seat covers were removed, the rare and often tatty seats with red piping were luckily in remarkable condition with no holes or any other damage apart from the driver's seat base being dirty due to ingrained dust from the foam lining of the covers. After professional cleaning they now look great. The boot area is unmarked and it appears that nothing has ever been in there. The first owner was a bachelor and had no children or pets, which probably helped. The space-saver spare wheel, tools and jack are unused. The car came fitted with a '90s Phillips radio cassette and also with its original Blaupunkt Hamburg push-button radio that I have now re-fitted along with a VW fader switch to operate the rear speakers. The paintwork is all original and considering the car has covered over 110,000 miles, the fact that the car has very few stone chips or dents is petty remarkable and a testament to the care bestowed by its first owner.
Original tax disc & holder:
Pre-delivery checklist from day of delivery, signed by the salesman:
Original Gilders key fob:
Circa 1993 Pirelli P600s:
The car hadn’t been used much during the last few years, with sometimes as little 20 miles covered between MOTs, so it was driven to Gilders and then back again. The gear linkage bushes were worn and have now been replaced. The guard for reverse gear was broken so it made setting off at junctions interesting to begin with. The original paintwork looked really good at first glance but closer inspection revealed that it was covered in tiny metal dust particles that were embedded in the paint. The previous owner worked in the steel industry so that would explain where they came from. To date I have removed around 95% of the particles using clay bars and gentle compounds but I keep finding small areas that I have missed. The metal particles have left tiny marks in the paintwork, especially on the roof and bonnet, but when it is polished you’d have to look very closely to spot them. Since purchasing the car I have replaced the incorrect later twin exhaust with the correct single pipe silencer. I have replaced the original steering wheel with a 1983 Momo Cavalino wheel with a thicker rim, which I personally prefer, especially when parking. The VW grille badge had been painted red at some stage but this has now been restored back to black and the non-original red tape that had been applied to the bumpers was removed. I have also replaced the cam belt and tensioner as the previous change was in 1992. The original GTI front grille badge was missing when I purchased the car. As these are NLA I kept searching on the internet for good one. After around six months one came up on Ebay that was actually in Sheffield so I luckily managed to buy it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was the original badge from my car, that had been found in an upstairs drawer when the late owner’s house was cleared for sale.
My plans are to drive it regularly and keep it original as possible. It will never be a concours car, but its originality and history seem to find favour with many people when I display it.
The car was voted ‘Best in Show’ at the recent PH / VW Golf GTi Open, which was both remarkable and flattering considering the number of pristine Golf GTis that were in attendance!
MDMA . said:
Very nice. Partial to a mk2 gti myself.
Would look better with the front grill badge on the NS though
It's actually in the correct position for a 1984 UK model. I know where you're coming from though. I think it was an error by VW UK as the badge was on the NS on LHD models of the same year and all subsequent variants.Would look better with the front grill badge on the NS though
Sillyhatday said:
Superb. Drive it, dirty it, clean it and repeat. Don't let it sit in a garage! Screw concurs, it has an interesting history, cherished and loved. It deserves to wear its patina with pride.
Keep us updated. Where was the Sheffield meet? Not to far away for me
Thanks, I agree with your comments and try to use it as often as I can apart from the winter.Keep us updated. Where was the Sheffield meet? Not to far away for me
The Sheffield meets are at Damon's restaurant, last Sunday of the month, 10am. There is a Sheffield Cars & Coffee Facebook page I believe.
chrismc1977 said:
Great car- mk1 & early mk2 GTi's were so far ahead of their contemporaries & have aged well.
K Jet engined cars indeed felt sharper too. Fresh injectors & a setup at somewhere like stealth racing would be a top plan...
Thanks for the tip. The car does have a couple of common K-Jet issues, (misfire under heavy load, reluctant hot starting) despite replacing the WUR and accumulator, so I will get the injection system properly serviced later this year.K Jet engined cars indeed felt sharper too. Fresh injectors & a setup at somewhere like stealth racing would be a top plan...
cg360 said:
That's lovely. I had three mk2 GTIs - a standard 8v, modified 8v (2.0, flowed etc.) and a standard 16v.
I've never seen one with a light-up gearknob, would love to see a pic of you get a chance.
Thanks. The gear change indicator light is on the dashboard, not on the gear knob.I've never seen one with a light-up gearknob, would love to see a pic of you get a chance.
Sillyhatday said:
Yeah, I don't drive my MR2 in winter. Thanks for the tip, I'll go check out the page later on.
Link to organisers here:www.facebook.com/KarlandCars/
Next meet on 25th June.
I have taken my original Pirelli wheels off as they are looking a bit tired after 32 years and 111,000 miles.
The tyres wouldn't hold air for long due to oxidisation inside the rims. The previous owner had some sort of rubber-based glue applied inside the rims, which has now disentegrated. While the P-slots are being restored, I have replaced them with a set of circa 1985 Zender Turbo wheels, which are slightly larger at 7x15. I have always wanted a set having seen them on a MK1 GTi a few years back. This set were in pretty good condition and included the alloy centre caps which are often missing. They came with stretched tyres so before fitting new tyres I had them professionally restored, which included stripping to bare metal and powder coating. The silver was the nearest I could get to the original Zender silver. They now look as good as new.
Pics from a local village classic car show at the weekend.
The tyres wouldn't hold air for long due to oxidisation inside the rims. The previous owner had some sort of rubber-based glue applied inside the rims, which has now disentegrated. While the P-slots are being restored, I have replaced them with a set of circa 1985 Zender Turbo wheels, which are slightly larger at 7x15. I have always wanted a set having seen them on a MK1 GTi a few years back. This set were in pretty good condition and included the alloy centre caps which are often missing. They came with stretched tyres so before fitting new tyres I had them professionally restored, which included stripping to bare metal and powder coating. The silver was the nearest I could get to the original Zender silver. They now look as good as new.
Pics from a local village classic car show at the weekend.
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