GT5 Transcripts/Volkswagen Golf I GTI '76

Volkswagen, who was having a hard time coming up with a successor to the super-long selling Beetle, announced a new front engine, front wheel drive car in May 1974. It was this car, the Volkswagen Golf, that would go on to pioneer the emerging genre of compact cars. The sudden popularity of the Golf spurred Volkswagen to produce many variations of the vehicle. One of those variations was a sport model called the GTI which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1975.
The GTI was based on the 2-door LSE model, and the compression ratio of the 1.6L SOHC inline 4 was raised to 9.5. It was equipped with Bosch fuel injection and had a maximum output of 108 BHP at 6,100 rpm and maximum torque of 101.3 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm.
The engine wasn't the only modification made to the GTI. The suspension was strengthened to match. Dedicated dampeners and springs were developed, and wider 175/70 R13 tires were employed. Plastic over-fenders covered the fenders where the new tires would fit, and as an identifying mark of the GTI, a red line circled the outside of the front grill.
The Golf GTI became a huge hit as a sport model that was practical. The GTI also became such a huge hit at races and rallies, that it prompted the creation of a special GTI class.
In response to its popularity, the GTI continued to evolve. In 1979 a change was made to a 5-speed manual transmission, 1981 brought a 4-door body, and near the end of its model life in 1982, a 1.8-litre engine was introduced. The Golf GTI changed the preconception that sports driving went back-to-back with pain and discomfort. This is where over 30 years of GTI history began.
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