This is the story of a car that was born in a "secret society" within the brand itself, half passion fruit dozen people who worked in his spare time to develop without the administration knew ... Thus, there are exactly 40 , who came the Volkswagen Golf GTI. This is the first article of a special three that address the history, legacy and present the Golf GTI model in Worthersee, Austria, will feature a celebratory event in his honor.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI is celebrating 40 years. It was in June 1976 that hit the market the first units that that would become one of the biggest icons of the automotive industry of the twentieth century. The acronym 'GTI' now exceeds the limits of the brand or model and defines a type of car imbued with a sporty driving side able to raise the adrenaline and combine high performance with the versatility of everyday life. Less known, however, is the concept of origin. The Golf GTI began as a project "rebel", but to which no one could resist. Not even the bosses of the brand when experienced on the track ...
In 1974, year of release of the first Golf, nobody wanted to hear about sports cars in the Volkswagen management. It was a taboo of those who no one dared to challenge. The world felt the effects of the oil crisis of the decade beginning and many still remembered the "commandment" of Heinrich Nordhoff, former director general of the brand until 1968, "the sports", ie, no sports. In addition, the "crusade" of the US Attorney Ralph Nader against small cars "to power the most" cast suspicion among the public across the Atlantic with sufficient replicas to have put in question, for example, simple special editions like the Beetle Gelb Schwarzer Renner (GSR). It might be uncomfortable, but the view was politically correct: Volkswagen was the 'Beetle' and the Golf was his successor. So even without great howls, before focusing on robustness, reliability, in the practical sense.
Project 'incognito'
However, six passionate about cars not 'understand' the car the same way and decided to follow a very particular way, after realizing the potential to create a "Sport Golf" as it was known the project initially. The 'godfather' of this "secret society" was Anton Konrad, the director of communication time of Volkswagen and himself an avid sports car enthusiast. The mythical man Wolfsburg communication recalls today the idea that one day you came by the office.
"We were a group of six people who had seen the potential of Golf for a sporty version: Horst-Dieter Schwittlinski, marketing, which would rest the author of the letter 'GTI'; Hermann Hablitzel, Golf project leader; Gunther Kuhl, the motor sport division; Jürgen Adler, interior design; Herbert Schuster, leader of the passenger car test department; and myself. Shortly after joining the would we test engineer Alfons Löwenberg, while Schuster was dedicated to the passage of the idea to viable production concept, "recalls one element, now out of the limelight.
Konrad addresses those first meetings of the group of little men linked to the decision making of new models: "We agreed that we would work in our free time and keep the process reserved for the group. In fact, no one had the courage to take such a project administration in a context so averse to madness. " Only a basic decision was clear: "The 'Sport Golf' would have to be completely contained in the costs."
source:http://automonitor.pt/
The Volkswagen Golf GTI is celebrating 40 years. It was in June 1976 that hit the market the first units that that would become one of the biggest icons of the automotive industry of the twentieth century. The acronym 'GTI' now exceeds the limits of the brand or model and defines a type of car imbued with a sporty driving side able to raise the adrenaline and combine high performance with the versatility of everyday life. Less known, however, is the concept of origin. The Golf GTI began as a project "rebel", but to which no one could resist. Not even the bosses of the brand when experienced on the track ...
In 1974, year of release of the first Golf, nobody wanted to hear about sports cars in the Volkswagen management. It was a taboo of those who no one dared to challenge. The world felt the effects of the oil crisis of the decade beginning and many still remembered the "commandment" of Heinrich Nordhoff, former director general of the brand until 1968, "the sports", ie, no sports. In addition, the "crusade" of the US Attorney Ralph Nader against small cars "to power the most" cast suspicion among the public across the Atlantic with sufficient replicas to have put in question, for example, simple special editions like the Beetle Gelb Schwarzer Renner (GSR). It might be uncomfortable, but the view was politically correct: Volkswagen was the 'Beetle' and the Golf was his successor. So even without great howls, before focusing on robustness, reliability, in the practical sense.
Project 'incognito'
However, six passionate about cars not 'understand' the car the same way and decided to follow a very particular way, after realizing the potential to create a "Sport Golf" as it was known the project initially. The 'godfather' of this "secret society" was Anton Konrad, the director of communication time of Volkswagen and himself an avid sports car enthusiast. The mythical man Wolfsburg communication recalls today the idea that one day you came by the office.
"We were a group of six people who had seen the potential of Golf for a sporty version: Horst-Dieter Schwittlinski, marketing, which would rest the author of the letter 'GTI'; Hermann Hablitzel, Golf project leader; Gunther Kuhl, the motor sport division; Jürgen Adler, interior design; Herbert Schuster, leader of the passenger car test department; and myself. Shortly after joining the would we test engineer Alfons Löwenberg, while Schuster was dedicated to the passage of the idea to viable production concept, "recalls one element, now out of the limelight.
Konrad addresses those first meetings of the group of little men linked to the decision making of new models: "We agreed that we would work in our free time and keep the process reserved for the group. In fact, no one had the courage to take such a project administration in a context so averse to madness. " Only a basic decision was clear: "The 'Sport Golf' would have to be completely contained in the costs."source:http://automonitor.pt/
FORD RANGER WILDTRAK (FOTO: FORD)
FORD RANGER WILDTRAK (FOTO: FORD)
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