VW Golf GTI Mk1 | PH Auction Block

It’s always nice to see just a few owners associated with a car for sale. It’s not the be-all and end-all, of course, but having a couple of people keep something for a good few years between them – rather than being passed from pillar to post – is reassuring. They will know the car, have learned its quirks, and presumably have cared for something they’ve long enjoyed. Services don’t tend to be skipped, for example, when keeping a car for years. If the running costs spook you after a few months, the check-ups might be forgone. Then it goes on to the next owner…

As the tenth owner of an old BMW that doesn’t have its original service book, there are whole heaps of my car’s past I know nothing about. While it doesn’t spoil the enjoyment of the car, it does feel like something is missing. My car is about as far removed from this VW Golf GTI as it’s possible to be; not just because it was a hugely successful hot hatch in period that’s become a coveted classic, but because it’s only ever had four owners. In 42 years. And one of them had it for more than four decades. Get comfy…

The dealer, Arthur Price VW in Loughborough, will have been the first registered keeper, who sold it to the first actual owner; they moved it on again in 1984. That person then kept it until the end of their life, the car now being sold by the owner’s family, which is how you get to four owners. But it’s been one for the overwhelming majority of 42 years – incredible. That’s one owner using and enjoying it for four decades as well, not stuffing it away in a barn and forgetting about it until YouTube came knocking. It’s covered more than 200,000 miles, backed up with a tonne of history, and promises to be a glorious GTI for an enthusiast to take on. 

The spec for this Mk1 is certainly a bit different, we’ll give it that. Did you know a tow bar was an option? Exactly. But both it and the BBS bodykit were dealer fit options back in the early ’80s, so have been with the Golf since new. Maybe this was a dealer demo to show off all the possibilities, or loaded with options to help flog Mk1s at the end of its life. The OZ wheels and stereo upgrades (this is a 20th-century hot hatch, after all) were added at a later date. There was a glass out respray, complete with a receipt for £1,500, but that was back in 2001, so cosmetically the VW would probably benefit from some TLC now to bring it back to its best. Worse jobs to have to do, for sure, and just imagine the reaction when it’s done. And the tow bar is gone…

The inside is similar, wearing its miles and use with pride. The driver’s seat will want a bit of attention if the Golf is going to be used regularly, though you wouldn’t want to eliminate the patina too far. It’s nobody’s favourite phrase, really, because it’s usually associated with stuffy old things that have been forgotten about, but this has 200,000 miles of adventure to show for its life in the way it looks. That’s patina. 

Almost 50 years since launch, nobody really needs reminding of the Golf GTI’s significance. The Sport Golf project was never meant to be such a big deal, only for VW to create a fast car icon that endures to this day. As a later car, first sold not long before the arrival of the Mk2, this is a 1.8-litre, five-speed GTI, so surely one of the more desirable. It’s old enough now not to require an MOT, young enough to be loved by plenty, and most certainly usable enough to be driven, enjoyed and loved on a regular basis. Keep us posted on this one, please, whoever’s lucky enough. Bidding starts on Wednesday.