If there were a dictionary listing for “hot hatch,” there’d be a picture of a Volkswagen Golf GTI next to the definition. And while cars like the Ford Focus ST and Mini Cooper John Cooper Works certainly qualify as hot hatches, it’s the GTI that is one of the originators of the category. With this in mind and the forthcoming U.S. launch of the GTI Mk 8 version later this year, Volkswagen released a commemorative look at the faces of each generation of its iconic hot hatch.

Golf GTI Mk 1

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

It all began when the first GTI was launched in Europe in 1976. Bordered in red, the car’s grille made a simple statement that would carry on for decades. The first GTI had a thin bumper that was replaced with a beefier component starting in 1978. “Even with the original GTI, all the design elements already reflect a clear attitude,” says Marco Pavone, VW’s head of exterior design for the new Golf GTI.

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Golf GTI Mk 2

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

Released in 1983, the Mk 2 carries over the red outlined grille and adds a red accent line to the bumper. At the same time, an air intake is added below the bumper, and quad-valve versions get integrated fog lights paired with the headlights.

Golf GTI Mk 3

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

The third GTi begins in 1991 and features more of a softer wedge shape emphasized by placing the double headlights behind a single diffuser lens. A split air intake, which will also grace the next three iterations of GTI, is added to the front end’s lower area.

Golf GTI Mk 4

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

“Launched in 1998, the Golf 4 GTI has a more modest appearance. For example, it is the first and only GTI not to sport the red stripe on the radiator grille. And yet, the model is celebrated to this day as the starting point for a new, clean era of vehicle design.” says Pavone.

Golf GTI Mk 5

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

Released in 2003, the Mk 5 GTI sees the return of twin headlights and other design elements inspired by the first generation GTI. The Mk 5 marks the debut of the honeycomb grille that would be a trademark for all GTIs to come.

Golf GTI Mk 6

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

The sixth-generation Golf GTI debuts in 2003 as two fine red horizontal lines frame the upper grille while connecting the bi-xenon headlights. Modern, vertical fog lamps and a wider lower grille are also introduced.

Golf GTI Mk 7

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

With perhaps a bit of bias about the Mk 7 GTI, Pavone offers, “This was the first GTI on which I was allowed to let my creative juices flow as a designer.” “For me, it remains the very best, with an iconic quality—no GTI had ever been as stylish.”

Golf GTI Mk 8

Volkswagen Highlights Eight Generations Of Golf GTI Front End Design
Volkswagen

Already available in Europe, the first GTI Mk 8 will come to the U.S. as a 2022 model later this year. Featuring deep-set headlights, this eight-generation hot hatch carries over the GTI’s aggressive front end while introducing new elements like the X-shaped LED fog lights.

Source: Volkswagen

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