1986 Volkswagen Golf Mk1 GTi

Everything we’ve heard, seen and read tells us that this is a good ‘un.

This low mileage car is in very good condition, inside, outside and underneath. It drives well, has had the right amount of money spent on the right things, and was owned for 25 years from new by the same owner and has since had only 3 or 4 other owners, 2 of whom were from the same family.

The vendor has had it for a year or so. This is a man who knows his way around a classic car. In one year alone, 25 classics passed into and out of his ownership. He can spot a rot infested bodge job in poor light from 1000 yards. He assures us that this Golf is the real deal. A solid, authentic, cared-for motor with all the paperwork and history to back up the visual evidence with documentary proof.

He has also done his homework and research on this car, even managing to track down and speak to the original owner who bought the car from new and looked after it so thoughtfully for 25 years.

His feeling, and ours, is that this car’s condition owes much to its being mostly garaged and only used infrequently in the last 15 years.

The car’s largely flawless Polar White paintwork is the result of a respray conducting in the last 2 or so years. The vendor isn’t sure but feels it’s probably a bare metal respray.

There is no bubbling anywhere on the bodywork and the only flaws to speak of are a couple of tiny rust spots and a slight chip to the paintwork on the inside of the driver’s door. The car had originally been Polar White (the original VW sticker in the boot is testament to that), but for reasons unknown at some point someone decided to spray it grey. That decision has now been reversed to very good effect, as you can see from the photographs.

The hood is a nearly-new replacement and although it is dark grey and not the original blue, it suits the car’s interior and exterior colour palette well. The vendor was mindful that whilst the exterior of the factory hood was in need of replacing, the original lining was too good to lose, so made sure it was retained. The tonneau cover is the original and is in good fettle.

The panels are straight and the shut lines are clean and even. The ‘CC’ decals are missing from the bodywork at present but could be easily (and cheaply) sourced.

The aftermarket BBS alloy wheels are in good order with only a few light scuff marks. They are shod with new Toyo tyres all round. The vendor has managed to source original spec wheels (in white) for the car and, should you wish, these can be yours for £500.

The MK1 VW Golf might not have had the most exciting interior of the eighties but it was certainly one of the most durable, as evidenced by the very impressive condition of this 34 year old car’s interior.

The upholstery is ‘CC’ embossed and in a condition that’s impressive for the mileage, never mind the age. The black vinyl is un-scuffed with no cracks or wearing, as are the leather wrapped steering wheel and the Golf Ball gear shift accessory.

Side panels, door cards, centre console and dashboard are equally good, with no tears or marks, scuffs or stains to speak of. There is a digital clock/ trip computer function on the dashboard that has decided to only half work. It just shows minutes, not hours. The vendor was quoted a price of £250 to get this fixed and decided he could live with the shame of not doing so. Whether or not you can is not for us to surmise.

As mentioned above, the hood lining is the original, ‘CC’ embossed fabric and might benefit from the attentions of a good valeting firm.

The mats and carpets are in good nick and the deep, rich blue colour hasn’t faded.

The vendor called in upholsterers to repair some surface wear and tear to the driver’s seat and insert some fresh padding. The seat handles, like everything else in the interior, are authentic.

You’ll notice that the rear speakers are in the parcel shelf, not in the rear door cards, where they would have been originally. The change was no doubt made in order to improve the sound quality, but the purist may want to restore the original order of things as VW intended. The Kenwood radio and CD head unit is a significant improvement over the original.

Open the boot and you’ll be able to see the new paintwork, a clean interior, the original VW stickers, a new gas strut and even a steering wheel lock (although the car does come with an aftermarket ‘Toad’ immobilser).

The Golf GTi cabriolet is a tough, well-engineered car and this example starts, handles, runs and stops as it should. It’s been serviced recently and shouldn’t require anything other than routine work for the foreseeable future (however, it is a 34 year-old car, so there are no guarantees).

The engine bay is an uncluttered and simple place, redolent of the bygone age from which it hails.

The undersides of the car look to be in very good condition, with just one tiny spot of rust visible on a pipe.

The vendor has recently replaced the rear exhaust (supplied and fitted by VW Heritage), the battery and the radiator.

This car had covered 63,983 miles at its MOT on 26.4.07. Some 13 years later, it had added just 5,558 miles to that tally when passing its 31.5.20 MOT test (with no advisories).

The vendor has spent around £1500 with specialists on fettling, refurbishing and replacing various bit and pieces. All of which has been done with a sensitive eye on retaining the car’s authenticity.

The car comes with a history and bills to attest to its largely main dealer care for the first 25 years of its life. There is a sheaf of bills, invoices and MOTs to cover the intervening years and testify to a life well lived.

The two big-ticket bills in recent years are the full body respray and the fitting of the new hood, both of which seem to have been carried out to a high professional standard.

There are two sets of keys (although only one has the immobilser fob), all the relevant manuals and handbooks, and even the original bill of sale.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

This appears to be a very well looked after example of the model. It has a good history and, with the respray and new hood, any new owner has already dodged two potentially sizeable future bills.

The vendor tells us that the gearbox and engine feel almost new and that the car drives and handles very well.

The purist has room to manouevre here and may decide to retrofit a blue hood, fit original wheels, change the location of the rear speakers, etc, but for most people this car is every bit as authentic as it needs to be and is in fine – and rare – condition.

‘Icon’ is an overused word, but it’s applicable to this model - and this example - which we feel would prove endlessly evocative to own and drive for buyers of a certain vintage.

With all the above in mind, as this example certainly stands apart from many Mk1 GTi Cabriolets, we feel it deserves an estimate band of £8,000-10,000. We are delighted to offer this rare car for auction with no reserve; a sure sign of the owner’s confidence in it.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller in Cornwall; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.