VW Golf GTI MK1
Discussion
With the Alpina rolling restoration/ improvement moving along slowly, with a long list of upgrades and improvements I am in the middle of, I thought it would be excellent timing to add a further vehicle that I have no space to store locally or time and funds for.
This, then, is my new Golf GTI MK1:
I'm going to tell the story of why this car, why it's just a set of wheels, why they are not cross-spoke BBS, and when they might have a steering wheel connected to them.
This, then, is my new Golf GTI MK1:
I'm going to tell the story of why this car, why it's just a set of wheels, why they are not cross-spoke BBS, and when they might have a steering wheel connected to them.
When I was 19, the only car I wanted was a mk2 golf gti. Ok, I'll admit I liked the Fiesta RS Turbo, but what I really wanted was a golf. My mum had ferried my brother and I around for years in a 1986 Passat 1.6GL estate, so VW meant something to me, and I needed a sporty golf, which meant a mk2.
In those pre internet days, I called the GTI specialists to see if any customers had cars for sale. Probably still a good way to do it today. In, ahem, Max Power, there had been an article about a VW specialist in South East London, they'd used him to change the cambelt on a golf or something. When I called him, oh yes, there was a car for sale.
It was a Lhasa green campaign mk1. And it had a recent TSR 1.9 pack C engine, and all sorts of modifications. Not a mk2 though. I thought I'd see it anyway, and travelled with a mk1 owning friend to Hertford to see it. As we arrived and saw it, I had bought it already. Gleaming metallic green paint, some 15" BBS alloys I hadn't seen before, 16v beesting aerial, single wiper (!), Zender rear spoiler, all kinds of bits. It was stunning. Hey, I was 19 and it was the early 90's!
Of course I bought it. I think I paid £2200. I would love to talk to the guy again- he was an Indian guy who ran a VW specialist in the Charlton area, had a nice red Ur Quattro, and introduced me to my wonderful golf, A453SYE. The car was first owned by Shell in London. What a company car that would have been in 1983. His customer, the owner, was a gentleman called Junior, from a scary sounding place called East Dulwich. I'd never heard of it and imagined it as some terrifying badland of South East London. I now live there! Junior had spent a fortune on parts and work at TSR, probably about £7k back then in the early 90's!
The car pulled so well. 80mph in third was new to me and my friends, and it bounced off the top end of the speedo on an autobahn near Stansted. It was torquey, light and just wonderful to drive. So long as you didn't need to brake. Mk1 brakes not too good, due to the rhd linkage.
Poor SYE had a sad end. After taking it to Sheffield for university I was coming home from a girlfriends house down the M6 at new year and was hit by a guy in a Honda, span 3 times- I remember that bit distinctly- and ended up shocked and pissed off on the hard shoulder. I remember thinking I was bound to be hit by a lorry... so I guess I was lucky!
The car had damage to nearly every panel from stones and dents that day, it still drove and the police let me drive home, but it was wrecked. I had no choice but to sell it, so sold it back to the Charlton VW specialist guy again- does anyone know who that would have been?
I only have a few pictures from back then. But recently I saw a set of those rare 15" BBS wheels. BBS Pininfarina. Not their best design ever, but essentially a smaller size of the Ferrari 355 design. I bought the wheels, and now I want to find the car to put them on, and see through my mk1 GTI adventure, now with my kids.
In those pre internet days, I called the GTI specialists to see if any customers had cars for sale. Probably still a good way to do it today. In, ahem, Max Power, there had been an article about a VW specialist in South East London, they'd used him to change the cambelt on a golf or something. When I called him, oh yes, there was a car for sale.
It was a Lhasa green campaign mk1. And it had a recent TSR 1.9 pack C engine, and all sorts of modifications. Not a mk2 though. I thought I'd see it anyway, and travelled with a mk1 owning friend to Hertford to see it. As we arrived and saw it, I had bought it already. Gleaming metallic green paint, some 15" BBS alloys I hadn't seen before, 16v beesting aerial, single wiper (!), Zender rear spoiler, all kinds of bits. It was stunning. Hey, I was 19 and it was the early 90's!
Of course I bought it. I think I paid £2200. I would love to talk to the guy again- he was an Indian guy who ran a VW specialist in the Charlton area, had a nice red Ur Quattro, and introduced me to my wonderful golf, A453SYE. The car was first owned by Shell in London. What a company car that would have been in 1983. His customer, the owner, was a gentleman called Junior, from a scary sounding place called East Dulwich. I'd never heard of it and imagined it as some terrifying badland of South East London. I now live there! Junior had spent a fortune on parts and work at TSR, probably about £7k back then in the early 90's!
The car pulled so well. 80mph in third was new to me and my friends, and it bounced off the top end of the speedo on an autobahn near Stansted. It was torquey, light and just wonderful to drive. So long as you didn't need to brake. Mk1 brakes not too good, due to the rhd linkage.
Poor SYE had a sad end. After taking it to Sheffield for university I was coming home from a girlfriends house down the M6 at new year and was hit by a guy in a Honda, span 3 times- I remember that bit distinctly- and ended up shocked and pissed off on the hard shoulder. I remember thinking I was bound to be hit by a lorry... so I guess I was lucky!
The car had damage to nearly every panel from stones and dents that day, it still drove and the police let me drive home, but it was wrecked. I had no choice but to sell it, so sold it back to the Charlton VW specialist guy again- does anyone know who that would have been?
I only have a few pictures from back then. But recently I saw a set of those rare 15" BBS wheels. BBS Pininfarina. Not their best design ever, but essentially a smaller size of the Ferrari 355 design. I bought the wheels, and now I want to find the car to put them on, and see through my mk1 GTI adventure, now with my kids.
Edited by Polynesian on Monday 31st July 17:08
Thanks for the comments. Obviously it wasn't just seeeing a set of wheels that put this into motion. No, a 2 car household in a terraced road in London needs a more sensible reason than that to add to the fleet.
My dad casually mentioned that his garage, where the BBS wheels are, could easily store a car and he'd be happy for me to do it. So now to the car hunt. Thanks, dad!
My dad casually mentioned that his garage, where the BBS wheels are, could easily store a car and he'd be happy for me to do it. So now to the car hunt. Thanks, dad!
Looking forward to seeing more of this. I had a couple of Mk1s (1.6 and 1.8) in the late 80s/early 90s and later had a KR 16V Mk2 so this should be an interesting combo.
I went to look at a Lhasa green Mk1 with a BBS (or possibly Zender) body kit when I trashed the first Mk1. The guy wouldn't come down at all on the price so I ended up with a Mars red 1.8 instead.
I'd still have a Lhasa green or Helios blue Mk1 as an occasional car now.
I went to look at a Lhasa green Mk1 with a BBS (or possibly Zender) body kit when I trashed the first Mk1. The guy wouldn't come down at all on the price so I ended up with a Mars red 1.8 instead.
I'd still have a Lhasa green or Helios blue Mk1 as an occasional car now.
This was delivered today:
Yes, the one at the back. Would you rather have that, or a tiny engined diesel misery box on monthly payments? I guess it depends on what you want it for, but anyway, here's my Golf GT
And it came with a bit of patina
Delivered in Berlin on 24th March, 1983 and with quite a few chapters of history since. Reading through the invoices, you can see times when it was very well cared for, with engine work at TSR and AMD, and a few times when there is less of a story. Anyway, without any rush, it's going to be sorted out now- proper suspension, genuine BBS wheels, new keys, grille, lights, and all sorts of bits and bobs that need doing. I'm looking forward to it!
Yes, the one at the back. Would you rather have that, or a tiny engined diesel misery box on monthly payments? I guess it depends on what you want it for, but anyway, here's my Golf GT
And it came with a bit of patina
Delivered in Berlin on 24th March, 1983 and with quite a few chapters of history since. Reading through the invoices, you can see times when it was very well cared for, with engine work at TSR and AMD, and a few times when there is less of a story. Anyway, without any rush, it's going to be sorted out now- proper suspension, genuine BBS wheels, new keys, grille, lights, and all sorts of bits and bobs that need doing. I'm looking forward to it!
dbdb said:
This has the makings of a good thread and an interesting story. The car looks to be in good condition, though personally I don't think the Mk1 Golf suits the degree of lowering it has had, so I would also change the suspension.
Thanks for that- elements of the car are in excellent condition, and it has a good restoration about 8 years ago. Unfortunately at that time the arches were smoothed, fillered and painted body colour. And at some point someone made the interesting dynamic selection of a set of coilovers that cost £167, new. It will be going up an inch or two and the long list of jobs will be attended to.For me it's an emotional purchase. I had a Lhasa green mk1 at 21. Now, 21 years later, i'm there again. Brakes have t improved on them in that time!
Edited by Polynesian on Thursday 3rd August 18:26
Nice! In 2003 I co-owned a Mk1 with a Mk2 16V engine for use as a track car. We picked it up for a steal from a guy in Hounslow and drove it all the way back to South Wales with a leaky headgasket and failing fuel pump. Stalled three times at the Severn Bridge tolls. It had massive 3-spoke 90s alloys and a leather interior which we stripped out and flogged.
PGO 395Y where are you now...
PGO 395Y where are you now...
Polynesian said:
I've accidentally expressed an interest, of the paid-a-deposit kind, in this:
Someone has put a KR (that's a mk2 1.8 16v) on carbs where the engine should be. Bugger.
Nice, I expect that is good fun to drive (assuming the carbs are setup right for the engine it should be a good 150+hp.)Someone has put a KR (that's a mk2 1.8 16v) on carbs where the engine should be. Bugger.
Now get those BBS 5 spokes on it and enjoy.
To be fair, I was expecting the wheels to sit in the garage for a year or two before finding a car for them, not a few months!
I've got an initial idea of what needs attending to. As ever it's a bit of a list. I'm trying to keep needs separate from wants...
So far it's been sensible stuff including a proper indoor cover, a lot of dynax s50 to fill it up with, every part of the fuel filler system including a new cap and the weld in panel of the filler itself, new hard bake lines, orange indicators and a new grille, badges (front and rear) and red grille trims. Those parts are vital to the smooth running of the car and cost as much as a set of 195 50/15 Yokohama Paradas, which I'm also buying so I can fit the genuine BBS wheels and sell the 3 piece BBS replicas.
That leaves on the absolutely necessary needs list:
Locking bolts
Recaros Inc retrim
New rear lights, smoked or standard
Dampers, springs, associated rubbery bits
rust and paint, including restoring the arches to black plastic GTI trims
heat mat on steering rack
steering rack gaiter
Alpine or Becker head unit
Speakers
3 VDO gauges and senders
armour lock surrounds
Sort out additional fuel pump (on a manual switch currently)
Fix all locks and have them all on one key
Cambelt, oil, filter, fuel filter, spark plugs
Improved headlight loom
Quaife (on every list ever but rarely done)
Some brakes, ideally including an improved linkage not just big fat calipers
New filters for the DCOEs
2.0 bottom end
Just seen the price of k&n DCOE filters- and of course there are two of them! And you'll notice I'm assuming my exhaust is fine and to my sonic taste, and numerous other bits. Well, at least I can keep you updated here.
I've got an initial idea of what needs attending to. As ever it's a bit of a list. I'm trying to keep needs separate from wants...
So far it's been sensible stuff including a proper indoor cover, a lot of dynax s50 to fill it up with, every part of the fuel filler system including a new cap and the weld in panel of the filler itself, new hard bake lines, orange indicators and a new grille, badges (front and rear) and red grille trims. Those parts are vital to the smooth running of the car and cost as much as a set of 195 50/15 Yokohama Paradas, which I'm also buying so I can fit the genuine BBS wheels and sell the 3 piece BBS replicas.
That leaves on the absolutely necessary needs list:
Locking bolts
Recaros Inc retrim
New rear lights, smoked or standard
Dampers, springs, associated rubbery bits
rust and paint, including restoring the arches to black plastic GTI trims
heat mat on steering rack
steering rack gaiter
Alpine or Becker head unit
Speakers
3 VDO gauges and senders
armour lock surrounds
Sort out additional fuel pump (on a manual switch currently)
Fix all locks and have them all on one key
Cambelt, oil, filter, fuel filter, spark plugs
Improved headlight loom
Quaife (on every list ever but rarely done)
Some brakes, ideally including an improved linkage not just big fat calipers
New filters for the DCOEs
2.0 bottom end
Just seen the price of k&n DCOE filters- and of course there are two of them! And you'll notice I'm assuming my exhaust is fine and to my sonic taste, and numerous other bits. Well, at least I can keep you updated here.
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