Nope, we still aren’t done with fast VW Golfs just yet. There aren’t many performance car nameplates that make it to 50, and the GTI’s half-century looks all the more impressive in 2025 given the state of the hot hatch market. It’s going to be a pretty threadbare group test for the Edition 50 when it arrives. And when thinking about five decades of sporty Golfs, inevitably the non-GTIs come up as well. The G60s, Rallyes, and recent Rs of this world, to name a few. From VR6 to that incredible W12-650 concept, you can’t say that the quick Golf hasn’t been given a good go by VW. Long may it continue.
A little more than 20 years ago, evolving the 2.8-litre VR6 into the 3.2-litre R32 made a lot of sense. The former had shown there was an appetite for a large engine in a smallish car with a premium badge, and the R32 was perfectly timed for the hot hatch’s great renaissance, arriving ahead of cars like the BMW 130i, while also looking a lot more interesting than a standard 2.8, as well as being usefully faster than the GTI.
Perhaps nobody, however, could predict just what a cult classic the Mk4 Golf R32 has become. There was a Mk5 version with a little extra power, though with the GTI usefully improved by then it didn’t have quite the same appeal as before; definitely didn’t look as cool, either. After that the VR6 was dropped, and no Golf since has quite been able to match the Mk4’s unmistakable style. The combo of the engine and the design has made the first R32 extremely desirable. There are Mk5 R32s with the same engine for £5k, and Mk4 GTIs that look a bit like the 3.2-litre car for less; but there’s currently not a Mk4 R32 on PH for less than £15k. In case you weren’t aware just how collectable they’ve become.
This one ought to please the R32 enthusiasts. It’s a Deep Blue Pearl five-door, one that’s been owned by just three keepers since 2003. Two service books have been filled up in that time, along with plenty of recent maintenance by the current custodian. It’s still showing fewer than 100,000 miles.
The Golf has also survived 22 years without any modification beyond a smartphone-compatible stereo and an induction kit. So there’s no daft exhaust, silly suspension or oversized BBS on stretched rubber; just the same suave aesthetic that’s always marked these R32s out. There’s never going to be a time where a well-preserved one doesn’t look absolutely fantastic.
Indeed it’s probably the condition of this one that really marks it out. The wheels and paint look fantastic in the images, surely a testament to how well it’s been kept. It can’t be far off show quality, if that’s something of interest. The interior wears its miles well also. It’s easy to imagine this R32 as both a semi-regular daily driver, a reminder of the time when ordinary cars could have interesting engines, or improved further and kept for best. It’s guaranteed to draw a crowd at any classic meet, because R32s are loved even more than you think. Bidding starts at the weekend…
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