Gran Turisme Injection - GTI for short - stands for a very special success story. The sporty Golf was actually only supposed to be a small series, but it became much more than that. 2016 will be the fortieth anniversary of the cult history of the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the Wolfsburg-based company is taking this as an opportunity to recreate the history of the GTI with the various models - from the Past to the latest model.
Initially, only 5.000 copies of the "Sport-Golf" were to be launched, but the demand was so great that this small series became an integral part of the golf range, which is indispensable. That is why the cult model, which once founded the class of the sporty compact, can be found as an exhibit at the Techno Classica in Essen. This Golf I GTI comes from the Netherlands and was the first GTI ever registered in our beautiful neighboring country. With 110 hp and 1.6 liters of displacement, this Golf took to chasing the establishment - and it succeeded like no other.
In addition to the Golf, there is also a Golf I GTI “trainee project” on display. This compact sports car, registered in 1983, had an increase in displacement to 1.8 liters and offered 112 hp, which had easy play with the 930 kg curb weight. To ensure that the exhibit looks perfect, the body was completely dismantled and reassembled in top form for the classic car fair. That was probably the case more often with the next exhibit, the Volkswagen Golf II GTI Group A, as this is a rally car that was not moved very gently. Its 1.8 four-cylinder engine developed 176 hp, which only had to move 880 kg. Equipped in this way, the Volkswagen Motorsport Team was able to clinch a World Championship title in Group A.
After two there are three - also with the Golf GTI. The exhibit, a Golf III GTI "20 Years" from 1997, caused a stir at the time. Not because it had almost the same performance as its ancestor, but because it was available as a 1.9 TDI. The diesel produced 115 hp, but initially caused wrinkles in the forehead, as a diesel engine was not considered a sporty unit. But what was then the most powerful four-cylinder diesel of its time was able to impress with its low consumption, which its model brothers could not do. The 2.0 liter petrol engine with 115 or 150 hp was not exactly considered a food lover. A Golf IV GTI will not be exhibited. Understandable, after all, the cult mutated into a pure equipment line - apart from the Jubi GTI with 180 PS and 1.8 liter turbo engine.
The history of the Golf GTI also includes the GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo from 2014. Under its bonnet, a turbocharged 3.0 liter 6-cylinder causes a sensation. The show car accelerates its output of 503 hp to 3,6 km / h in 100 seconds and is said to make it up to 309 km / h fast. Initially, the Roadster only existed in the virtual world in the form of a Playstation game. But the show car ultimately became a reality for the Wörthersee meeting.
Arrived in the here and now, the birthday model, the Volkswagen Golf VII GTI Clubsport, shows what a compact athlete looks like these days. The Wolfsburg-based company produces 265 hp, gets this performance from a 2.0 liter turbo engine with four cylinders and can even increase its output to 290 hp. The current anniversary GTI can be boosted with the power injection for ten seconds.
The corresponding show in Essen is not only provided by the exhibits, but also by the supporting program. Experts speak in a panel discussion about their contact with the cult model. These include contemporary witnesses such as Anton Konrad, one of the "fathers of the GTI". Gunhild Liljequist, a former designer, also talks about his ideas, such as the golf ball as a gear knob. Also there is none other than Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck, himself owner of a Golf I GTI and racing legend. In addition, the rapper and VW fan MC Fitti shows up at the Techno Classica. The Gifhorner and Volkswagen fan gives an autograph session there.