Within the car culture scene, petrolheads have a special place in their hearts for the hot hatch. The category – which encompasses compact 2- and 4/door hatchbacks with sporty engines – is far reaching amongst car brands, but one has been tried and true for nearly half a century: the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
That ‘half a century’ remark isn’t exaggeration either – VW is celebrating 50 years of the Golf hatchback since 1974, which eventually spawned the sports edition trim level of it, the GTI. Since its inception, consumers from your average daily driver and commuter to enthusiasts and even motorsports figures have loved what the Golf GTI has stood for. Its compact size yet highly-practical seating and capacity measurements paired with zippy engines and sport-tuned suspension meant the GTI was an “all things to all man” vehicle, and its success is apparent even to this day as the Golf GTI continues to dominate the market.
We got a very exclusive invite to Osnabrück, Germany at one of Volkswagen’s factories to check out a special exhibit of some of the rarest Golfs, Golf GTIs, and Golf concept vehicles that may or may not have been seen by the public. Naturally we geeked out at a full line up of the original Golf GTIs and a walk down memory lane of the Golf Rs, but the motorsport racers and the ‘Apprentice’ builds were the real show stoppers for us. Check out each vehicle below.
