Early Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTIs used the same engine as the outgoing Mk1 model, a car which was both smaller and lighter than its successor. Contemporary reviews picked up on this, noting that the Mk2 could do with a bit more oomph. Step in, GTI Engineering.
I will admit that I hadn't heard of GTI Engineering before I started here, so when I spotted this advert, I had to start asking around the office. I blame my age, since the company was founded in 1978 (13 years before I was born) by, among other people, the late British Racing Driver Richard Lloyd. They raced Golf GTIs and Audi 80s, presumably with great success considering they became the official UK tuner of Volkswagen Audi Group in 1982.
If you look up 'GTI Engineering' online, fans have put up old adverts showing the amazing list of options which were available. There was the usual stuff like alloy wheels, a bodykit and leather seats, but there were other, more involved, upgrades too. You could get power steering, cruise control, an automatic gearbox; plus the most 80's of options, a carphone.
All this extra luxury didn't come at the expense of GTI Engineering's race-bred engineering though. They would alter the suspension if you wanted and fit strut braces too, however the pièce de résistance came beneath the bonnet. There GTI Engineering could both bore out your engine and swap your 8v head for a 16v version, giving the Mk2 GTI what it needed most, more power.
An Autocar road test from March 18th 1987 confirmed the extra urge when they found that in top-spec 2.0-litre 16v form, the GTI Engineering car was faster than a Ferrari Mondial 3.2 QV during acceleration. There were some downsides, the testers highlighting the "decidedly raspy [exhaust] note which lowers the overall level of interior refinement'. Well, you can't have everything.
The advert describes this car as being from the GTI Engineering demo fleet before it was purchased by its only owner. Judging from the lack of awareness of these cars outside of enthusiast circles, the claimed rareness of this example is likely valid, as is the fear that some of the GTI Engineering cars may have been lost because of it. This may be a rare opportunity to own one of these cars for yourself then, but perhaps fellow PHers have experienced them before. Comments on this subject are, as always, welcome.
Volkswagen Golf GTI RE 1900 GTI Engineering
Engine: 1,781cc, inline-4 N/A
Transmission: five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 142@6,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 124@4,600rpm
MPG: 25.3
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1987
Recorded mileage: 119,000miles
Price new: £11,000 (1987 original)
Yours for: £15,995
See the original advert here
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