![Find out why this Volkswagen Golf GTI is so special Classic & Sports Car – Your classic: Volkswagen Golf GTI](/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/2021-01/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Your%20classic%20%E2%80%93%20VW%20Golf%20GTI%20%E2%80%93%201.png?itok=88vV0vsK)
There are lots of reasons to love the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
It really did invent the hot-hatch genre and, while pretenders to the throne have come and gone, the Golf has remained at or close to the top of the tree.
For many it is the obvious choice: conservative, well made, comfortable and durable – a car for all occasions, at home on the high street, at society events or in a race paddock, often driven to classic events by owners who’ve come to race a seven-figure classic Ferrari.
The last car before it that achieved this egalitarian feat was the Mini Cooper ‘S’.
![The elegant, simple lines of the original VW Golf GTI Classic & Sports Car – Your classic: Volkswagen Golf GTI](/sites/default/files/2021-01/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Your%20classic%20%E2%80%93%20VW%20Golf%20GTI%20%E2%80%93%208_0.png)
The GTI had that same universal appeal and usability.
I love the fact that the GTI began as a skunkworks project by a group of VW engineers and marketing men. Rarely could a hunch have been more successful.
Today the Golf GTI is an icon. Often legends disappoint against today’s standards. The Golf doesn’t.
It was and still is a great drive, and is as usable as ever.
![The VW Golf GTI’s cabin Classic & Sports Car – Your classic: Volkswagen Golf GTI](/sites/default/files/2021-01/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Your%20classic%20%E2%80%93%20VW%20Golf%20GTI%20%E2%80%93%202.png)
![Under this Volkswagen Golf GTI’s bonnet Classic & Sports Car – Your classic: Volkswagen Golf GTI](/sites/default/files/2021-01/Classic%20%26%20Sports%20Car%20%E2%80%93%20Your%20classic%20%E2%80%93%20VW%20Golf%20GTI%20%E2%80%93%204_0.png)
The Mk1 GTI’s age puts it right at the sweet spot to attract enthusiasts’ money now.