GTI! GTI!” like a bunch of unruly Bayern Munich Fußball-Bundeslinga fans. Keep your jerseys on, people, we’ll get there in a bit. First though, a look at the Mk1 Golf’s more pragmatic side.

The fastest and most powerful production Golf GTI yet is set to kick off celebrations as 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the original hot hatch – the Mk1 Golf GTI. Despite three decades ...

With a kerb weight of just 810kg, the GTI could get to 60mph in 9 seconds. Top speed was 110mph. Available only as a three-door, the Golf GTI went on sale in Germany in June 1976. A handful of ...

This first-generation Golf GTI is a painful reminder of this. In around 2009 my shortlist for a characterful, fun car was narrowing, and a Mk1 Golf GTI was one of the few remaining candidates.