GOLF MK1

About the Golf Mk1

Volkswagen was losing money and the Beetle was fading when Golf production began in March 1974, so the replacement had to work first time. It did. Italdesign under Giorgetto Giugiaro drew a 3.70 m hatchback with a transverse front engine, front-wheel drive and water cooling, 165 kg lighter than the Beetle, with a 1.1 making 50 PS or a 1.5 making 70 PS. The millionth was built by October 1976. The 1976 Golf D had the smallest diesel on the market and the 1982 GTD added a turbo, while the 1979 Cabriolet stayed in production until 1993. Americans got it as the Rabbit, built in Pennsylvania from 1978. Volkswagen counts 6.9 million first-generation cars, derivatives included.