An eclectic mix of Volkswagen Golf GTIs from across the model's remarkable 40-year history journeyed to Volkswagen U.K.'s headquarters in Milton Keynes on the 20th of August to attend a special 'birthday celebration' for the iconic hot hatch.
The unique event, organised in association with the U.K.'s largest online motoring forum - PistonHeads.com - saw the owners of 85 GTIs from across the years set their alarms extra early and ignore typically British 'summer' rain to make the pilgrimage to the cars' spiritual home in Britain - the headquarters of Volkswagen U.K. in Milton Keynes. The honourable award for rarity went to the solo Golf GTI Mk III in attendance, while a plethora of Mk V cars - 24 to be precise - saw that iteration of the charismatic hot hatch become the most numerous on show, just pipping the Mk II of which 23 examples were on display.
The Golf GTI was launched to a stunned automotive audience in 1976, with the German brand initially targeting sales of around 5,000, globally, for the newly minted performance version of its already well-regarded compact hatchback. Today, 40 years and more than two million registrations later, the Golf GTI remains a genuine icon of 'everyday' sporting excellence.
The latest chapter in this exciting story, limited to just 400 examples worldwide, is the exceptional Golf GTI Clubsport S of which 150 in right-hand drive form have been earmarked for U.K. customers.
