Volkswagen Golf GTi celebrates 40th birthday with classic

We all know the Golf GTi to be the daddy of all the hot hatches, but the fact of the matter is that the iconic Volkswagen is now — gasp — 40 years old, so technically it could now be described as the granddaddy of the genre.

For those of us of a certain age — those who remember the original and revered it as being one of the most important automotive landmarks of any era — the 40th anniversary of the GTi is a terribly significant milestone, not least because we lived with it and loved it for longer than we have our wives.

I do hope my dearly beloved spouse does not take offence at that last statement, but that’s just the thing about special cars: We are all allowed to love them and venerate them as much as we like — just as long as this adoration does not get in the way of more important things (children, home, life, etc) or financially impair any of the aforementioned.