page_title: Volkswagen Golf Mk1
section_title: Golf GTI
hierarchical_section_title: Volkswagen Golf Mk1 / Mk1 Derivative models / Golf GTI
caption_attribution_description: English: 1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI Taken during the Warwick Classic Car Show
context_page_description: The Volkswagen Golf Mk1 is the first generation of a small family car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen. It was noteworthy for signalling Volkswagen's shift of its major car lines from rear-wheel drive and rear-mounted air-cooled engines to front-wheel drive with front-mounted, water-cooled engines that were often transversely-mounted.
  Successor to Volkswagen's Beetle, the first generation Golf debuted in Europe in May 1974 with styling by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign.
context_section_description: Due to the negative political reaction to the 1973 release of the Beetle "Gelb-Schwarzer Renner" ("GSR", or "Yellow-Black Racer"), Volkswagen had little inclination to develop a faster Golf.
  VW Press Department head Anton Konrad and VW engineer Alfons Löwenberg began development of a high-performance "Sport Golf" as a skunkworks project rather than as an official factory program. The two were joined by Gunter Kühl from the Press department, suspension expert Herbert Schuster, Hermann Hablitzel, who smuggled parts from the project into regular tests, Jürgen Adler, whose chassis analysis led to additional reinforcements, Horst-Dieter Schwittlinsky from the marketing department who coined the "GTI" acronym, and Franz Hauk, developer of the EA827 engine.
  A prototype was built based on a Scirocco, rather than a Golf. This proof-of-concept had an EA827 engine with dual carburetors and a lowered and stiffened suspension. When this prototype was driven by Volkswagen's Chief of Research Ernst Fiala, he objected to the harsh suspension and excessive noise from the intake system and declared the car "undriveable".
  The ad-hoc development team arranged to use the fuel-injected version of the EA827 engine that had been developed for the new Audi 80 GTE. That engine's Bosch K-Jetronic system reduced intake noise and raised power output.
  The car's name is typically described as an acronym of either the Italian phrase "Gran Turismo Iniezione", or the English "Grand Tourer Injection", and is usually written in all capitals.
  The GTI was presented to Volkswagen's management early in 1975, and the project was approved 28 May 1975.
  At this point a ninth person joined the original eight-member GTI team. Working under Chief designer Herbert Schäfer, Gunhild Liljequist was tasked with creating a set of features that would set the GTI's interior apart from the normal Golf. Her contributions included the bright Tartan plaid upholstery, and the dimpled golf ball-like gearshift knob.
  The Golf GTI debuted in March 1975 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and wasn't unveiled until the autumn of 1976.  
  Production was not expected to exceed 5000 units, which was the number needed to qualify for the Group One Production Touring Car class.
  In addition to the modifications already mentioned, the GTI was distinguished from the stock Golf by external changes that included black-plastic wheel arch extensions to cover the 175/70HR13 tires on 5.5Jx13 wheels fitted, a larger front spoiler, a matte-black frame around the backlite and a red frame for the grille. Ride height was reduced by 15 mm (0.6 in), and the standard car's solid front brake discs were replaced with 9.4 in (239 mm) ventilated discs. Anti-roll bars were also fitted front and rear.
  The engine in the early GTIs had a bore x stroke of 79.5 mm × 80 mm (3.13 in × 3.15 in) that displaced 1,588 cc (1.6 L; 96.9 cu in). The compression ratio had been raised to 9.5:1. This resulted in an engine that produced 110 PS (108 hp; 81 kW) at 6,100 rpm and 140 N⋅m (103 lbf⋅ft) at 5,000 rpm. This was mated to a close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission.
  With a curb weight of 810 kg (1,786 lb), the GTI could accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 9.2 seconds. Top speed was 182 km/h (113.1 mph).
  In August 1979 a 5-speed manual transmission became standard.
  In 1982 the engine's bore and stroke were enlarged to 81 and 86.4 millimetres respectively, which resulted in a total displacement of 1,781 cc (108.7 cu in). Compression had also been increased to 10.0:1. Power rose to 112 PS (110.5 hp) at 5,800 rpm, and torque to 153 N⋅m (112.8 ft⋅lb) at 3,500 rpm.
  The GTI appeared on the British market in 1977 as a special order only in left-hand drive form. A factory right-hand drive version finally became available in July 1979, priced at £4705. The Rabbit GTI did not arrive in the United States until the 1983 model year.
  The 1976 Volkswagen Golf GTI is considered by many to be the archetypal "hot hatch", a class of sporty small cars popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, although cars of a generally similar concept, such as the 1967 
caption: Golf GTI Mk1
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