Car news headlines these days are dominated by thousand-plus horsepower hypercars and unobtainable special editions. This immaculate modern classic MK2 Golf GTI 16V takes us back to simpler days, before it was all about the lap times.
Is the hot hatch in the traditional sense already dead? Sure, you can buy faster versions of the current crop of hatchbacks, but while they might indeed be hotter versions of the common or garden models your gran might buy, they’re seemingly almost double the size, power, and weight of the hot hatches of yore, and not to mention almost always AWD. That’s why the sight of this MK2 Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V felt like a breath of fresh air, returning us to the days when hot hatches were lightweight, front-wheel drive, and small enough to really enjoy on a good back road.
This 1991 example is considered by many to be among the most desirable Golf variants ever produced, despite arguably lacking the design clarity of the Giugiaro-penned MK1. Thanks to a sub-1000kg curb weight, this GTI’s 139 horsepower, 1.8-litre 16-valve four cylinder provides more than enough thrust for a good time on your favourite stretch of tarmac, while the BBS wheels, classic golfball gear knob, and black over grey fabric spec tick all the boxes.
However, beyond this car’s goldilocks status among the Golf GTI lineage, it’s the immaculate condition of this particular example that truly caught our eye. With just 65,480 km on the odometer, this GTI has been driven sparingly, and a host of fresh parts in the form of a Jetex stainless steel exhaust system and new gear shift and linkage bushings should help this Golf feel as fresh as the day it left Wolfsburg. So, if you want a classic hot hatch that’s sprightly enough to keep up with modern traffic and reliable enough to use on a daily basis, this gem of a GTI is ready and waiting with DriverSource.
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