A huge amount of hype surrounds the release of any new Golf GTI, and this week’s
official unveil
of the Mk7 has been no different. Next week, as it makes its debut in Geneva, motoring hacks and the public alike will swarm to see the new model for themselves. There have been plenty of dropped balls in VW's GTI history, and
sales are seemingly on the slide
, but in spite of this, the Mk7 is shaping up to be one of the GTIs we'll remember fondly, rather than one we'd rather forget.
One GTI that’ll always have an undisputed following, though, is the one that started it all. Today, the Mk1 GTI still looks as youthful as when it was new; more so, in fact, thanks to its compactness and its unadorned lightness of styling touch. Seeing one driven hard is always a joy, especially when it’s an untouched, immaculate example like VW’s own, and especially when it’s VW itself which is sanctioning said hard driving.
This shot captures the Mk1 mid-corner, just the way it was designed to be driven. There’s a chunk of lean, yes, but it’s still hanging on tidily. From this dead-on rear angle, too, the purity of the original GTI’s looks are clear: simple, straight-edged horizontal lines, unfussed taillights, ample glass area and a few neatly-judged black accents to set it apart from the lower-line cars. What more could you want?