“ This is an older restoration, with rare leather interior. ”
MoT to Feb'27

Background
The original Volkswagen Golf GTI continues to receive the highest plaudits from road testers and owners alike, which makes life awkward for subsequent models; according to popular culture, every new GTI was lardier and slower than the one that went before – and you’ll remember the headlines proclaiming “The King is Dead” as well as we do, we’re sure.

And yet, while popular culture sometimes has its roots in the truth, sometimes it turns out to be nothing but unreconstructed nonsense; while it’s true the MKI is the lightest GTI the German firm ever built, a comparison test of the first four generations around Thruxton circuit by one magazine demonstrated that each new GTI was in fact quicker than the one that went before, largely because the power, suspension, and brakes all improved at a faster rate than the weight.

So, a more interesting discussion would be to ask which new GTI represented the biggest leap over its predecessor - and you’d be brave to bet against the MKII over the original.

Why? Well, not only did it deliver huge improvements over the MKI in terms of performance and braking, it also wiped the floor with it in sophistication, solidity, and refinement – and it did it all without compromising on that VW-specific mix of affordable fun allied to real-world practicality.

Top Gear wrote of it: “By modern standards, it’s an absolute slip of a thing, weighing less than a tonne and measuring barely 170cm wide … allowing you to pick lines through corners, maintain momentum and keep the 1.8-litre on the boil.”

Overview
Bought by the seller for his son twelve years ago, his generosity was perhaps also a cunning way of reliving his youth as he’d been a big fan of the MKII Golf GTI when it was new.

A genuine UK-spec car – although it is thought to have been ordered directly from Germany – ‘A78 HPC’ has many benefits over some examples we’ve seen as it was optioned with both leather upholstery and power-steering from new.

It is also finished in the unusual and unusually attractive colour of Atlas Grey, and benefits from having been recommissioned at vast expense over the past two years; the seller estimates the final bill was somewhere north of £4,500, but then a huge amount of work was carried out using new/old original equipment parts wherever possible.

And, perhaps better still, this work built on an earlier, high-quality restoration by a classic car craftsman.

You see, the seller mentioned to the chap who was restoring his Citroën SM that he fancied buying a MKII GTI for his son – who replied that he was selling the one he’d bought and restored for his mum.

Sometimes the universe smiles.

The history file includes a photo album of the work being carried out, but he recalls being told at the time that it had been re-shelled and fitted with a new engine.

That engine has now covered around 85,000 miles but it’s still as sweet now as it’s ever been and the Golf is only being sold because his son has moved to Europe and it would be prohibitively expensive for him to take it with him.

Exterior
The Golf’s recent refurbishment included some minor bodywork: the tailgate was fitted with new boot struts and missing trim; the front end was treated to a period-original grille with matching Hella headlight units and wiring; the roof rail rubber gutters and seal were replaced, including door seals; an original GTI decal set was refitted; the wiper arms and various external pieces of trims were replaced or repainted; and a new electric aerial was fitted.

The result is a very tidy example; good enough to wheel out at your local classic car show but with enough light scuffs and marks for you to be able to enjoy it as a daily driver without having to be unduly precious when you park it up.

The window glass is all good and the lamp lenses are generally free of chips, cracks, and other damage, the smoked rear Hella lamps modernise the rear nicely (the originals have been retained), and the glass headlamps haven’t yellowed in the way modern plastic lenses do.

The 185/60R14 tyres are fitted to a set of good Pirelli ‘P-slot’ alloy wheels, with the only damage being a few chips to the offside pair. In a further act of serendipity, the Golf comes with two spare and matching wheels, so you could get them refurbished piecemeal without having to take the car off the road.

The rubber is, fittingly, Pirelli Cinturato P1 on all four corners, even if they’re getting on a bit now and have picked up advisories for cracked sidewalls.

Nonetheless, as we will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

As for flaws, apart from the usual and inevitable light stonechips there are a noticeable pair of chips on the bonnet, faded paint to the top of the offside front wing plus chips to its wheelarch, and further chips to the driver’s door, offside rear wing, and nearside front wing and door.

It also has a few spots of rust underneath the front bumper, at the bottom of the offside door, underneath the rubber seal on the offside sill, and on the nearside roof near the top of the door.

The nearside door mirror case is peeling, the paint around the sunroof and the lower edge of both rear wheelarch trims is coming away, the nearside rear lamp has a couple of minor cracks, the badges are worn and faded, there are two small dinks behind the fuel filler flap, and there is a minor crease and a dent to the nearside rear wing.

Finally, both bumpers have peeling paint, scuffs, and chips to their finish.

View car and current bid price HERE