1985 Volkswagen Golf

Model History: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II was a 'hot hatch' sold between 1984 and 1992. It was a 3/5 door hatchback with a 1781cc 4-cylinder OHC engine fitted with Bosch K Jetronic fuel injection producing 112bhp to the front wheels through a five-speed gearbox.

The first VW Mk II Golf GTi was introduced as a 3-door hatchback in March 1984. Externally, it had the GTI designation on the front grille, black wheel arch extensions, side body stripes, a rear spoiler and alloy wheels to differentiate it from its other Golf brethren. Inside, it had fuel consumption and gearchange indicators, a trip computer, sports front seats & steering wheel and a split rear seat option. In the December of that year, a 5-door option was released in the UK. Braking was provided by disc brakes on all four corners.

In 1986 a 16-valve variant was released. This retained the 1781cc of the 8-valve car but with a 16-valve DOHC engine producing 139bhp. It also slimmed by 80 kilos, with a kerb weight of just 920 Kg. Electric windows and central clocking were standard until 1989 when electric windows were discontinued, but that year the model picked up power-assisted steering as a standard. From 1990, a five-door model was offered.

Although better than the Mk I for corrosion, the Mk II Golf GTI can still suffer from corrosion, especially around the wheel arches, sills, valances and around the sunroof. Today, later 16v cars tend to hold their value best, although some prefer the 8v for its low-end pickup.

Period alternatives for the Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II are the Peugeot 205 GTi and the MG Metro Turbo.