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Ladies and gentlemen, raise your glasses to the VW MkI Golf, which has finally ceased production after... 35 years.
Now, we know what you're thinking. You're thinking that we've had quite a few Golfs since the MkI. Five, approximately, and therefore TopGear.com is rather late in toasting the death of the original Golf.
But you're wrong. Since 1984, the MkI Golf has been continuously built at VW's Port Elizabeth factory in South Africa as the CitiGolf, with more than half a million cars exported to developing countries at a cost, in today's rates, of around £7,000.
But this autumn, finally, VW decided to cease production of the MkI in South Africa.
Safety, unsurprisingly, was a factor in the decision: you'll recall that a handful of safety features have reached most production cars since 1974. Like, er, crash protection. And airbags. (Airbags, admittedly, did make it to the CitiGolf... but not until 2008.)
So, after more than a third of a century, that's it: the MkI Golf is dead. Roll on the MkII. Oh...
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What do you think?
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badhosli commented on this article
at 12:30 pm on 06 November 2009
nice. the one on the picture is even an "R" version..
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stanley_1428 commented on this article
at 01:30 pm on 06 November 2009
About time they did that...god, I've always hated that car...
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airbuggy commented on this article
at 03:27 pm on 06 November 2009
ahem,who exactly buys something thats THAT old?must be tribal people or something.hah,imagine masai mara tribesmen going about in one of these..
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Mikeado commented on this article
at 03:29 pm on 06 November 2009
£7k for a Mk.1 Golf? I'm assuming they added ever so slightly more than airbags over 35 years. I was going to say new engines, but that hot version is a 1.8, much like the original Golf GTI (though there was also a 1.6). As it's right hand drive, you could import what's basically a safer and slightly more modernly-interiored Mk.1 GTI into the UK - although it'l have to be 2nd hand now of course - for around half the price.
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Mikeado commented on this article
at 03:35 pm on 06 November 2009
Wait, it's only 25 years. The Citi Golf was first produced in 1984. It's 31 years if you include the normal VW Golf 1 in that as well. And airbuggy, sensitive people are going to think that's a little racist.
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