Mk1 Golf GTI tuned to deliver similar performance of today’s equivalent model.
As VW celebrates the 40th anniversary of the illustrious Golf, one tuning house with a special attachment to the German carmaker has pulled one of its earliest aftermarket projects out of the vault. Volkswagen Group tuning specialist ABT Sportsline offered a special version of the VW Golf Mk1 back in 1982, just before the launch of the second-gen Golf. The popular hatchback received a seven-inch widebody kit, modified suspension, steel wheel spacers, and alloys wrapped in wide-base rubber.
Performance upgrades saw the GTI’s 1.8-liter unit upped from 108 to 161 hp thanks to a KKK turbocharger borrowed from the AudiQuattro, autothermal pistons and a special crankshaft. The result was a 0-62 mph time of 6.8 seconds – just 0.3 seconds slower than the current Golf GTI. Rounding off the treatment was a white-leather steering wheel and upgraded instruments. The price of the aftermarket program was 15,000 Deutsche Marks, or around $10,000 – a fair chunk of change for the time.
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