During my teens and into my early 20’s I was a die hard water cooled VW fan, particularly A1 and A2 Rabbit/Golf GTI’s. My 84 GTI, which is the focus of this story was number two of four that I owned. My first GTI was an 83. Ownership of this car was short lived. To put it politely, it was a massive pile of dung. It was comprised of a beat interior, beat drive train, and numerous electrical issues, all wrapped in body that was rotting from the inside out. Next came the 84, followed later by two A2 16 valve GTI’s.

I dove head first into the mods and repairs. First on the list was a body make over, which was provided my friend Russ. Russ provided the knowledge, skill, shop and equipment. I provided two arms which were perfectly capable of using a sanding block. We shaved the side marker lights, badges, and moldings. The fender mounted antenna was shaved and replaced with a roof mounted Fuba. Under Russ’ watchful (and critical) eye I sanded and prepped for what seemed like an eternity. It all paid off when Russ laid down the gleaming coats of black paint. I still remember looking through the glass as Russ was spraying the final coat, thinking to myself how awesome it looked. The final package was rounded out with Euro style bumpers and lights, new fender flares, front grille and the all important “GTI” front badge.

Next up: Make it faster. It is now early 1992. Almost a full 10 years have gone by since the first GTI hit U.S. soil. The basic go fast recipe for the 1.8L 8 valve A1 engine has been well established. It was pretty simple. It required a Euro spec cam, a larger throttle valve assembly found on the later model A2’s, a larger diameter mandrel bent exhaust and a K&N air filter element. If memory serves correctly, this would yield a jaw dropping 115-125 horsepower! None of that mattered seeing as how I would drive it as if it had 500 horsepower.

Time for some suspension bits. Bilstein shocks, with Autotech springs, stress bars and polyurethane bushings did the job quite nicely. Heavy duty strut mounts were also a requirement, as this was a weak point in the suspension system. Black BBS lace wheels shod with Pirelli rubber kept it stuck in the corners.

I remember the countless hours spent trying to keep that shiny black paint job looking good. I also remember that the windows would fog up every time it rained. The left side seat track would always stick, and the girlfriend would complain the ride was too bumpy. The girlfriend was eventually gone and I learned to live with the foggy windows and sticky seat track.

My 84 GTI , while not a gem and certainly not a piece of art, still ranks high on the list as one of my favorite cars I have owned. Most guys I know have a fondness to at least a few cars they have owned. Share your favorites in the comments. Link to any pictures you may have.

I sold this GTI in 1994. The pictures above are of the actual car I am referring to in this post.  They were taken December 2007 at New Castle Auto Wrecking, almost 15 years after selling it.

Cadillac Converj Concept - NAIAS 2009 from David Yarnell Jr on Vimeo.