Recently, you could read about the special Volkswagen Golf Rallye, in the paper AutoWeek.
That gave us an idea; to bring you an oversight of the special versions of the second Volkswagen Golf,
because there are quite a lot of them. Here are the seven best!
We're kicking off with the Rallye Golf. This was Volkswagens attempt to win the Group A Rally Championship in the eighties.
If you wanted to compete in the races, the motor sports association FIA demanded...
...5000 homologated street versions of the rally car would be built.
You could say that we're dealing with VW's answer to the Lancia Delta Integrale here.
The Rallye received a smaller version of the 1.8 engine from the normal GTI, but thanks to the famous G-Lader,
and the crankshaft driven compressor shaped like a G, the 4-cylinder engine still produces 160 horsepower.
Combined with a four-wheel drive system, it resulted in a very special Golf II,
even though it wasn't really successful in the Rally.
The headlights on the Rallye are quite remarkable as well, they have a rectangular shape because the light production was better than the round ones.
Of course, the name 'GTI' is inseparable with the Golf II.
There have been quite a lot of special versions, and the G60 is no exception.
This version is based on the 1.8 engine with 8 valves from the normal GTI, but in the case of the G60,
it's supported by the same G-Lader from the Rallye.
That means it didn't have 112 horsepower, but a nice 160 horsepower,
which was good for a 0-100 time of 8,3 seconds. Yep, that was quick back in the day.
G60's weren't really known for their reliability though. The G-Laders were pretty susceptible for malfunctions,
but sounded amazing and gave the Golf a very explosive personality.
The other legendary Golf II GTI, is the GTI 16V.
Because of the extra valves, the power output of 1781 CC-4 cylinder rose from 112,
to 139 horsepower. 129 horses if you had the version with a catalytic converter.
In that time, it was a very decent output.
The appearance of a 16V was very discreet really, maybe a few 16V badges around, but that's enough for enthusiasts.
As used cars they're pretty desirable as well. A good second hand GTI 16V goes for €10.000-15.000 nowadays.
That is, if they're original, because this is the kind of Golf where people,
let's say... Like to tinker around with.
The strangest Golf II is this toughened-up adventurer, without a doubt. It's the Golf Country.
This off-roady version is a lot more tough than the Cross Polo, or any other plastic doll we know nowadays.
Just like the Golf Syncro, the Country has four-wheel drive,
but it's been raised by 21 cm as well. Also, it's got protection underneath, a bull bar,
and a serious spare wheel which is mounted to the back.
Take a look people, thís is a cross-over.
In total, 7735 units were built by Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Austria, but the Volkswagen Golf Country is getting pretty rare now.
The Golf Limited might be the rarest of them all.
Only 71 units were made by hand in 1989 by the Volkswagen Motorsport-division.
All of them were sold to key people within the company.
That's why the Limited was filled to the brim with luxurious services. It had 4 electric windows, a leather interior, seat heating and a sunroof.
And again, the 16V from the GTI formed the heart of the car,
but because of the G-Lader, there it is again ladies and gentlemen,
it produced 210 horsepower. The Limited was, with its 0-100 in 6,4 seconds, the fastest production Golf ever,
until the Golf IV R32 came along in 2003.
Not a lot of people know about the existence of an electrical Golf II, but this CitySTROMer never really broke through with its range of 50 km.
That's why this special Golf takes the number 2 spot; the Jetta.
On first sight, it's about as dull as a reading about knitting in south-west Giethoorn,
but the Golf Sedan really was a success for Volkswagen.
The Jetta was as straight as an arrow, but because of its 550 litres of luggage space,
this car made many families in the eighties very happy.
Also, the Jetta gives you a really good concept of time, because in the eighties,
manufacturers still sold 2-door sedans, without them being called coupé immediately.
When the second Golf reached the end of its production, its successor was already being built for quite some time.
That didn't keep Volkswagen from producing the two next to each other,
with the Function being the final version of the second Golf.
It isn't a typical 'end-of-the-line'-version like we see today. Instead of a lot of options for not a lot of money,
you got a completely stripped Golf with an extremely powerful 1.3-engine. That's 54 horsepower-powerful.
You also got wind-down windows, cloth upholstery and a 'Function'-sticker on the C-style.
And that's the end of this weeks 'Seven', thanks for watching and we'll see you next week for the next episode.
Have a good weekend!