- This rare and pristine 53,000-mile 1992 Volkswagen GTI is nearly equal to the Editor-in-Chief’s first car.
- The last of the second-generation GTI 16V, this 2505-pound hatchback packs a roaring 134-horsepower 2.0-liter four.
- This original example with factory-installed BBS wheels and Recaro seats is currently up for auction until Saturday, January 28th.
They say there is no turning back, but when I see my first car with a trailer at auction, I begin to question that adage. Looking down at me on my laptop screen is a boxy piece of my past: a 1992 Volkswagen GTI 16V with 52,000 miles on it. Right down to the Tornado Red paint, it matches my first car. Other paint colors include Montana his metallic in shades like white, black and teal.
Ok, it’s not exactly like mine. My 1990 model of him did not have an integrated third brake light and had black trim around the rear window. But mine has the same heavily reinforced Recaro seat with electronic height control and 2-piece BBS RMII cross-spoke wheels that have the look of the much more expensive 3-piece BBS RS wheels. was
The final model of the second-generation GTI, the US-specification model, was assembled at VW’s plant in Mexico. An early second-generation Golf and his GTI came out of the company’s Westmoreland, Pennsylvania factory, which closed in 1988. His early 16V came in 1987 and was powered by his 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine with 123 horsepower. For 1990, the engine he increased to 1984 cc or 2.0 liters, horsepower rose to 134 and 133 lb-ft of torque was ready. VW added his four headlight grilles and a larger bumper to help modernize the car. A very high 10.8:1 compression ratio meant his premium-hungry four. Road & Track Missed it when I tested one in 1991. CDs I haven’t tested it. running on 87 and R&T The 2505-pound 16V hit 60 in 8.4 seconds (VW claimed 7.8 seconds).
The engine is rough even by the standards of 30 years ago. Reaching a power peak of 5800 rpm sounds wild. Shifts are light and positive, and gears are short. On the highway, the four settle into his 4000 rpm Buzz steady at 80 mph. The best thing about the late GTI 16V is handling. The ride is rough and the construction lacking, but there’s a lot of information flowing from the 195/50R-15 tires to the four-spoke steering wheel. Originally, the 16V was fitted with a Pirelli P600. The example up for auction shows the original size Michelin Pilot Sport 3 Summer tires with much more grip.
The cornering attitude is classic GTI, with the inside rear wheel lifted off the ground. The movement of the 3 wheels is not apparent until you get behind the wheel. The joy of pushing this relatively lightweight machine to its limits is nothing short of amazing.
In addition to the Recaro chairs, there are also flares. The front fender flares (the black trim coming off the fenders) are widened to cover the big rubber and his 6.5-inch wide wheels. Behind these wheels is a vented front rotor with a solid rotor on the back. Antilock brakes were not on the menu. There were no airbags either. No airbags meant federally mandated door-mounted belts with separate lap belts. At least they are fixed and not motorized. Fortunately, this example does not appear to be involved in any kind of action involving airbags.
This GTI is more trouble-free and much cleaner than the second GTI 16V I bought in 2002.I sold it years later when someone left a note CDs Parking Lot. Even in the early 1990s, these were rare cars and cost around $15,000, about $33,000 in today’s money. Today, they are even harder to find because most people have given up life the hard and fun mile. In a recent column, I wrote about how the Toyota GR spirit and joy of his Corolla reminded me of his 16V GTI for the first time. I think this GTI of his will go as high as around $45,000. That’s roughly the price of a well-equipped GR Corolla.
go back or go forward You can’t go wrong with either choice.
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