VW Golf GTI Mk2 | PH Auction Block
Hot hatch heroes don't come much more heroic - or nicely preserved
It’s June already, which means the big endurance events on the European calendar - Le Mans, Spa 24 and N24 - aren’t far away for 2025. The latter should be especially interesting this year, as VW will use the Nurburgring epic to reveal a special edition Golf GTI to the world. It’ll be the version to celebrate 50 years of the nameplate; so while on the one hand it could be just another Golf GTI Anniversary - there have been enough of those over the decades to know the deal there - it could be something a lot more interesting. You’re only 50 once, after all. And the electric Golf GTI is coming. A final swansong for petrol power would seem very appropriate at such a momentous milestone.
Whatever the 50th turns out to be, there’s going to be some interest. It’s a Golf GTI, after all, and there really aren’t many other fast cars out there with the same kind of heritage and continued relevance. Certainly none that remain as vaguely attainable. It’s hard to imagine the fast car scene in the UK without half a century of Golf GTIs, from the original to the latest. There’s plenty to like about the current 8.5 in fact, righting a few wrongs of the Mk8 GTI, so hopes are high for the 50th.
It’s the old school we’re celebrating here, however. The nostalgia associated with Golf GTIs in the UK, plus the fact a good few of them were great hot hatches, means the survivors have become covetable classics in recent years. That and the fact that they were built to last, like a lot of German cars from the latter part of the 20th century. You’d much sooner be putting a 150,000-mile Golf GTI to regular use than an equally well-used Escort XR3, surely.
The staying power of the Golf GTI was evidenced by the Mk1 recently auctioned on PH, complete with more than 200k. This eight-valve Mk2 is some way from that milestone, at a little more than 100,000 miles, or not very many per year given it’s a 1990 car. With four former owners, plenty of history and zero modifications beyond an immobiliser (the late '90s and early '00s had to be survived somehow), it looks an excellent example. It even has the original parcel shelf…
And check out the spec: Dark Blue Metallic (very rare), the BBS, the big bumpers. It’s the Golf GTI you always wanted. The interior has aged beautifully, and comes complete with the original speedo that was replaced back in 1995. A proper time capsule, albeit one that could still be put into reasonably regular service, because that’s just what Golf GTIs are great at.
While this Mk2 is an eight-valve rather than a 16, we’re at the point now with Mk2s - much like with 205 GTIs in fact - that engine spec matters much less than it did. Just having the GTI is important, and all that it represents from days gone by. As well as being the perfect palette cleanser for modern motoring. Don’t be surprised if a few join you in bidding when it kicks off next week...
I saw this one at the weekend, and it was pretty much immaculate inside and out with well under 100k miles. I would probably prefer a five door like this. I guess it must be one of the very last ones being on a J plate, as I believe the Mk 3’s came out on the K.
First owner had splashed out on electric windows and sliding sunroof, no tilt. Most GTis of this time had keep fit windows.
i did 45,000 miles in two years, it felt tight but always wished I'd gone for the 16v. 112hp never felt quite enough.
First owner had splashed out on electric windows and sliding sunroof, no tilt. Most GTis of this time had keep fit windows.
i did 45,000 miles in two years, it felt tight but always wished I'd gone for the 16v. 112hp never felt quite enough.
I once owned a lovely 3 door 8v in Oak green. Was in really good condition overall, but I just couldn't deal with how slow it was. The 8v is a dull lump, and that combined with its K jetronic injection system (best of luck when that starts going wrong), means that the best thing for an 8v is as a base for an ABF, 1.8t or VR6 swap.
I saw this one at the weekend, and it was pretty much immaculate inside and out with well under 100k miles. I would probably prefer a five door like this. I guess it must be one of the very last ones being on a J plate, as I believe the Mk 3 s came out on the K.
@sutts: Where was this?
It's one of the last Mk2, and so came with all the run out special stuff like rainbow seats, electric windows and half tinted rear lights. All this stuff was standard on the 16V for the last 2 yrs of production, the 8V didn't get it until literally the last 6 months of production run.
Would love to see it again, my father loved it.
Back in 2013 my brother bought a late 8v so I thought I'd better buy a 16v so as to not feel like the black sheep of the family. This is us in the Goodwood FoS car park at the end of a long, hot day. As we were crawling along the road out, a McLaren 'something' (apologies, I don't know any of the models apart from the F1) was in front of us. A chap walking along the road with his wife took a look at it, saw us behind and we heard him say 'I'd rather have those two'. It made our day.
Both now in new hands but the black one was MOT'd up until December and had nearly 190,000 miles on it. My brother's red 8V is touching 170,000 and is MOT'd and still on the road.
I saw this one at the weekend, and it was pretty much immaculate inside and out with well under 100k miles. I would probably prefer a five door like this. I guess it must be one of the very last ones being on a J plate, as I believe the Mk 3 s came out on the K.
@sutts: Where was this?
It's one of the last Mk2, and so came with all the run out special stuff like rainbow seats, electric windows and half tinted rear lights. All this stuff was standard on the 16V for the last 2 yrs of production, the 8V didn't get it until literally the last 6 months of production run.
Would love to see it again, my father loved it.
The Golf really was lovely - I wish I’d taken a few more photos of it now.
The Golf really was lovely - I wish I d taken a few more photos of it now.
Here's some pics I've found of it from when we had it. Sold it with around 148k miles IIRC. Looks like the mudflaps are off it now.
And my Mk1 that I still have (you can just see the Mk2 outside on the road)
Anyway, I was driving up the Pyrenees ranges from Barcelona with my ex, camping gear etc and came across a bloke in a 16v mk2 cruising up the same road. When he say me behind him, he sped up and we had an amazing drive fanging our cars through the bends and climbing road. But he just couldn't pull away from us in my 8v over something like 40kms.
Do I wish I had a 16v at all? No, I am more than happy with the 8v and I would say that they represent far better value for money and I love the torque from fairly low in the rev range.
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