“Volkswagen” was founded by the German Labour Front in 1937. History has it that in the early 1930s, most Germans were unable to shoulder the cost of any sophisticated means of transportation other than a motorcycle. As a matter of fact, it was recorded that only one out of fifty Germans could afford the cost of buying a car at the time.

This situation opened the eyes of many business enthusiasts to venture into the potential new market, which led some car manufacturers to start a project widely known as “people’s car projects.” The result of these projects led to the creation of early vehicles such as the Mercedes 170H, Hanomag 1.3L, BMW 3/15, and Adler AutoBahn, among others. Hence, cars were becoming cheaper for Germans to afford.

Before we get on to the Mk2 GTI, let's briefly look back at the history of the GTI.

Origins Of The GTI

It wasn’t until 1949 that Volkswagens were first sold and exhibited in the United States, even though it only made sales of two cars in its first year. In 1955, Volkswagen was refined as “Volkswagen of America” in order to standardize its sales; this then led to a turn of events as the sales of Volkswagens sporadically increased, with sales reaching almost one million in 1955.

In the 1980s, the sales of Volkswagen cars in both Canada and the United States plummeted drastically, even though it was recording success in a few other places. For the United States, however, sales crumbled down to 177,709 in 1984 compared to its record of 293,595 in 1980. This was what necessitated the introduction of the second generation of new Golf models; GTI and Jetta.

GTI improved Golf’s reputation, especially in North America, and in fact, by 1985, GTI was named the Car of The Year. It increased in the rate of its buyers, and as a matter of fact, Chairman Carl Hahn made decisions to expand the automobile brand to other developing countries.

Features Of The Volkswagen Mk2 GTI

The Volkswagen Mk2 GTI was renowned for one major thing; its incomparable agility and superb handling on the road. The GTI Mk2 model was accompanied with a 1781cc engine that fuel-injected either in 16V or 18V. It is more than an attractive proposition; it is a very useful automobile.

Here are some of its outstanding features:

• Performance: The Mk2 delivers excellently in its performance. Its 16V has a particularly good economic balance and has an awesome build quality, reliability and longevity.
• Engine: The 8V and 16V engines are quite durable with no recognized weaknesses. Their mechanical issues mainly stem from age, neglect, and wear.
• Transmission: Its transmission gearboxes are typically strong, with the synchromesh on the second gear. This could work against its performance at times but is usually not a cause for alarm. That's because the issue can be solved with an application of oil to renew the gearbox.

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Comparison With Similar Vehicles of The 1980s

The 1980s were marked with universally great and interesting cars; it was a decade of immense change that welcomed quite a huge number of innovative vehicles from various automobile brands. Some of the vehicles that were similar to the Volkswagen Mk2 GTI are as follows:

Peugeot 205 GTi

The 205 GTi was produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1983 to 1998. It was officially launched in 1984, and it was powered by a 1.6-liter engine, which made 103 BHP. Although it may no longer fit into today’s standards, it weighed around 1,870 lbs, thus making it light and increasing its performance.

Ford Sierra

Ford was able to market nearly a million Sierras between 1982 and 1993, adorning the brand with the privilege of being the fourth best-selling car of the 1980s because of its unique features and performance.

Acura Integra

This ride existed between 1986 and 1989. It was one of the coolest cars at the time as it offered plenty of fun in affordable three or five-door packages.

For its time, a 16-valve 1.6-liter four-cylinder was quite rare, albeit it was a feature that its manufacturers pulled off quite easily. It was a unique vehicle that provided amazing performance and 118 HP. It weighed around 2,500 lbs.

AMC Eagle

This vehicle was also quite similar in appearance and design to the Volkswagen Mk2 GTI. At its inception, it was launched into the market as a wagon, and later, it evolved into a sedan and variants of coupe, but, all in all, it was one of the most exceptional cars of the 1980s.

Final Thoughts

The 1980s witnessed the reign of the Volkswagen Mk2, one of the best automobiles to be produced around that time. The model commands respect and admiration from a massive number of fans. It has a handling assurance, even better than its predecessor. It is also very quick in response and has quite reassuring brakes.

If you are looking forward to a vehicle with remarkable agility, practicality, and stellar performance, the Mk2 GTI is definitely a model worth considering.

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