Discussion
I've had and have much faster cars, but none more real-world thrilling. As a young bloke in the late 80s, I had a 15-mile rural commute from the nearest night club. I came to enjoy the stage home on deserted late-night roads as much as the night out. To this day, the flare of revs and the hard-edged, purposeful idle when you turned the key, the talky steering and the superb seats and the willing engine which gave of its best when you caned it and the chassis composure and fluidity under the most-idiotic canings on dangerous twisties; all still gives me goose bumps. Best real-world car in the world. I still have a Mk 2 16v. I've driven modern Golf GTis; they're quick and great cars in their own way, but feel a bit fake to me by comparison.
Lovely example.
Lovely example.
That looks so good, and a lovely story.
I bought a 1973 Beetle from a lady that had it from new. She had done 1,500 miles per year in it, just driving to Brent Cross shopping centre and back once or twice a week, and it had been garaged from new. I bought it in 1995 and it had 33,000 miles on it! She was a lovely lady and I took the car back to her a few months later once I had had all the little body dings repaired. Unfortunately she was NOT a driving instructor, but the car was immaculate inside and underneath.
Enjoy your Golf.
Rich
I bought a 1973 Beetle from a lady that had it from new. She had done 1,500 miles per year in it, just driving to Brent Cross shopping centre and back once or twice a week, and it had been garaged from new. I bought it in 1995 and it had 33,000 miles on it! She was a lovely lady and I took the car back to her a few months later once I had had all the little body dings repaired. Unfortunately she was NOT a driving instructor, but the car was immaculate inside and underneath.
Enjoy your Golf.
Rich
Gandahar said:
Fantastic lady, fantastic story. and ... fantastic car.
It's still so fresh. The windows are so "deep" you can actually see out of them !
I drove the original back in the day, it tolerated lift off moments far better than the Astra GTE. Now that was a scary car on it's old skool ditchfinders.
The Golf looked after you a bit more, it should be epic on modern tyres, what are you running ?
The car has recent Continentals which seem OK but I haven't really tested them. It's still so fresh. The windows are so "deep" you can actually see out of them !
I drove the original back in the day, it tolerated lift off moments far better than the Astra GTE. Now that was a scary car on it's old skool ditchfinders.
The Golf looked after you a bit more, it should be epic on modern tyres, what are you running ?
Edited by Gandahar on Sunday 20th October 13:38
My previous MK2 GTi came with period Pirelli P600 tyres and they were very noisy with zero grip!
tommy1973s said:
I've had and have much faster cars, but none more real-world thrilling. As a young bloke in the late 80s, I had a 15-mile rural commute from the nearest night club. I came to enjoy the stage home on deserted late-night roads as much as the night out. To this day, the flare of revs and the hard-edged, purposeful idle when you turned the key, the talky steering and the superb seats and the willing engine which gave of its best when you caned it and the chassis composure and fluidity under the most-idiotic canings on dangerous twisties; all still gives me goose bumps. Best real-world car in the world. I still have a Mk 2 16v. I've driven modern Golf GTis; they're quick and great cars in their own way, but feel a bit fake to me by comparison.
Lovely example.
I love this thread and I love this post Lovely example.
My dad had a series of 8V GTIs in the 80s and I ended up with a 16V Jetta. Amazing car and still the closest to my heart of every car I’ve ever owned.
Sharknose said:
Thanks. Any pics of your old GTi?
Have my album of it here!https://flickr.com/photos/42637264@N03/sets/721577...
What a cool story!
I had a 1990 GTI 8V which had a MK3 1.9TDI lump conversion done on it by previous owner, I paid DVLA £5 to get the history of it, and found out it was purchased new as a company car for a company director, emailed the company which had since changed names and the original owner came who has since retired got in contact. Not as cool as your story though.
I had a 1990 GTI 8V which had a MK3 1.9TDI lump conversion done on it by previous owner, I paid DVLA £5 to get the history of it, and found out it was purchased new as a company car for a company director, emailed the company which had since changed names and the original owner came who has since retired got in contact. Not as cool as your story though.
LankyLegoHead said:
Wow, some excellent pics there. You did a great job with that. Lovely stuff OP.
I had an 89G Mk2 GTI 8v back in '01/'02. One of the last with small bumpers, Jade Green, teardrops.
Mine had 165k up it and had been meddled with - stainless exhaust, lowered - but that suited 23yo me right down to the ground!
Alas, a quick check suggests it's no longer with us.
There's an F-reg 16V that I see locally that I wouldn't be surprised is with its original owner. I must leave a note next time I see it.
I had an 89G Mk2 GTI 8v back in '01/'02. One of the last with small bumpers, Jade Green, teardrops.
Mine had 165k up it and had been meddled with - stainless exhaust, lowered - but that suited 23yo me right down to the ground!
Alas, a quick check suggests it's no longer with us.
There's an F-reg 16V that I see locally that I wouldn't be surprised is with its original owner. I must leave a note next time I see it.
What a lovely car - it brings back a lot of memories. My first golf was a black Mk 2 16v (E222SOJ); wrote it off in an ill advised 70mph rush down Lancaster Gardens W2 when i was a reckless student. I bought another well used '91 oak green one in the mid 90s and it was still great. Leaving aside the various Alfas i have had (sorry to the VW purists) this was the best car i ever had.
Now old and fat and driving an Audi Q8, And restoring a 1967 Alfa 1750 gtv..
Now old and fat and driving an Audi Q8, And restoring a 1967 Alfa 1750 gtv..
Very nice car and great to have the history from the very beginning.. I too was a die hard GTI nut for many years and still reckon that a well sorted std looking MK2 is all you ever need in a fast A to B car.. yes there are faster yokes, but back in the day and even yet I would stack a decent well sorted 8v against all comers on certain back roads that I used to travel .. on a 58 mile commute in under an hour early morn daily and even faster at night.. I ran maybe 4 as company cars in the trade all digiphant and more privately a modded 8v as a sleeper, 16v's & 2 lt MK1's had a few mk1 which were great but never handled just as well as a sorted mk2..I also ran a lightweight mk2 on dellortos as a hill and sprint and trackday car in the road taxed category... these days still on sleepers a fOcus st170 and looks like a 1.4.... even when retired..
Beautiful mk2 there sir! I have an 88 16v in atlas grey and an 88 2.0 8v.
Very rare to have an early one with all the correct details still intact and the car in perfect condition!
Atlas grey is such a beautiful shade when it's spotlessly clean and the light bouncing off it.
Do you have any plans for the car or is it ready to enjoy as it is?
Very rare to have an early one with all the correct details still intact and the car in perfect condition!
Atlas grey is such a beautiful shade when it's spotlessly clean and the light bouncing off it.
Do you have any plans for the car or is it ready to enjoy as it is?
My wife ran a mk2 16v in the late 1980s- early 1990s.
She did a 26mile round trip every day between Nottingham and Loughborough where our kids went to school.
Driving that car hard up the twisty (uncamered) a60 was the best drive I can ever recall.
Since then she’s run an slk 350 and currently a c63s and I’ve run a lexus gs430, a quattroporte 4.7 and now an e63s.
However we both still really miss that mk2 and although the metal we’ve run since has had its virtues none really lives up the visceral fun of that car (I’m not sure our late lamented Flatcoat retriever who travelled in the boot, which he ate the lining of, would necessarily agree).
She did a 26mile round trip every day between Nottingham and Loughborough where our kids went to school.
Driving that car hard up the twisty (uncamered) a60 was the best drive I can ever recall.
Since then she’s run an slk 350 and currently a c63s and I’ve run a lexus gs430, a quattroporte 4.7 and now an e63s.
However we both still really miss that mk2 and although the metal we’ve run since has had its virtues none really lives up the visceral fun of that car (I’m not sure our late lamented Flatcoat retriever who travelled in the boot, which he ate the lining of, would necessarily agree).
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