I hereby confess...........

[portmanteau]

........... that my Mk1 GTI is a replica (but a pretty good one if I say so myself)

built her up 10 years or more ago around a totally rust-free usa-built shell ex-japan, and using the entire interior and componentry from a rusted-out genuine GTI that I scrapped in the UK and shipped the bits to NZ (plus a tilt-slide sunroof from a Scirocco)

here's a test ............ if I hadn't already said that she was a replica, what are the giveaways?

I can think of 4 tell-tale signs that this did not leave the factory as a GTI, all of which could have been eliminated without too much hassle, but since I had no wish to present the car as anything other than a very good replica, why bother trying to pass it off as another fake GTI!

(BBS in Gemany were fantastic - they even sent me a free set of the correct original accessory wheel bolts, when the NZ BBS agent showed absolutley zero interest in helping.  Typical, unfortunately, of many NZ companies who hold agencies for European manufacturers - just had a similar experience with the O.Z. agent in NZ, and once again Italy displayed a level of customer service that totally put the NZ agents to shame, and sent a set of centre-caps directly to me, after the kiwi agent said they were impossible to obtain, aka : "we can't be bothered trying")

[RS ZWEI]

- the colour
- no side strips
- no blacked out surround around the rear window
- the sidelights in the front wings
- the black plastic between the rear lights

[portmanteau]

- the colour

correct - but looks great in yellow, don't you agree?

- no side strips

wrong - they are there - might be just the pic (or do you just mean the decals? - The side mouldings are correct for a GTI, though)

- no blacked out surround around the rear window

didn't think of that, but yes

- the sidelights in the front wings

that's the most obvious

- the black plastic between the rear lights

didn't think of that, either, but I rather like that as a mod, so would probably have fitted it even to a genuine GTI


but, you missed the biggie ....... small tail-lights and later dash

Big valve "RV" Code 1800cc engine and close-ratio GTI box, btw.  All the roll bars and other genuine GTI bits are also there, right down to the radiator expansion tank, and black head-lining (of course) 

[RS ZWEI]

correct - but looks great in yellow, don't you agree?


wrong - they are there - might be just the pic (or do you just mean the decals? - The side mouldings are correct for a GTI, though)


didn't think of that, but yes


that's the most obvious


didn't think of that, either, but I rather like that as a mod, so would probably have fitted it even to a genuine GTI


but, you missed the biggie ....... small tail-lights and later dash

Big valve "RV" Code 1800cc engine and close-ratio GTI box, btw.  All the roll bars and other genuine GTI bits are also there, right down to the radiator expansion tank, and black head-lining (of course) 

I was referring to the decals (stripes)

Yes, the mix of small tail lights and later dash is wrong. Though 79-80 Mk1 GTIs had small rear lights and later pastic bumpers.

[portmanteau]

I was referring to the decals (stripes)

Yes, the mix of small tail lights and later dash is wrong. Though 79-80 Mk1 GTIs had small rear lights and later pastic bumpers.

the decals were an easy thing to put on if wanted, but finding the original slim black waistline mouldings was not so easy

always hated the later large tail-lights, so since there was no wish to build a fake, it became more a matter of building what I personally felt was the best features of each model year.  The original twin binnacle dash, although undoubtedly more collectible (on a genuine car) just lacked a few too many creature comforts.  I still do however have a mint un-cracked original style dash tucked away, but it is made of the harder plastic that seemed to appear on some of the usa-built cars.

what do you think a one-owner 1974 kiwi-built 1100cc 4-door golf mk1 would be worth, 1 little old lady owner prior to me, and not driven since in my hands, and a mint check interior but blown motor? (Rust-free apart from one guard)  I really should think about selling it off at some stage, as I will just never get around to restoring it.

[BB]

About $500 max Im afraid.

[GTI's]

cool little MK1! Bring it to the Nationals next year!
I've got a 78 2 dr from japan that has all the same running gear and a KR motor.
white headlining, small lights etc COOOoooool! Mk4 minidisc player
the 4 door will fetch good money if you get it all legal and running.
I have a running EV 1800 motor you can have for $50.
Mk1 parts like bonnets and bumpers are getting so hard to find.
i paid 350 for two front gaurds not long ago.

[portmanteau]

the 4 door will fetch good money if you get it all legal and running.
I have a running EV 1800 motor you can have for $50.
Mk1 parts like bonnets and bumpers are getting so hard to find.
i paid 350 for two front gaurds not long ago.

The four door is still licensed (on hold), but will need an engine rebuild (which is nothing, of course).  The unusual things about it are the lack of rust, mint interior, and "little old lady" provenance. I have a brand-new aftermarket guard here waiting to be fitted in place of the one rusty one.

EV motor does not fit, thanks .... 1100cc mounts differently, plus I think a big part of any value it might have would lie in it being as it left the factory, complete with matching original engine number

I sold a Jap-import four-door 1600 in average condition a few months ago for $350 without any trouble, but seems to me the NZ-assembled one is more of a kiwi-icon piece of local assembly motoring history (the NZ trim was quite funky, and very 80's).  Maybe I am dreaming.

I even found an original brochure here for it printed 1975!  It's the German brochure, but is what was distributed at the time for the local models.  Trim is the black and white check, but even slightly more garish than what is shown in the brochure!

It would be nice to think that somebody else would see the merit in keeping it absolutely original?

[dubstar]

Definitely keep it original.  If I had the space I'd hit it!

[wilco]

A 1974? Man that must be even before they had front disc brakes?  The early NZ ones still had drums I thought.  Would be nice to keep it for sure.

[Filx]

Great car! I love the colour! Is it the same/similar to what BMW 2002s came out with?

[portmanteau]

Great car! I love the colour! Is it the same/similar to what BMW 2002s came out with?

The 1100cc?  No, sorry, it's not the colour on that brochure, but the pale pastel blue that a lot of the nz-assembled ones came out in

[portmanteau]

A 1974? Man that must be even before they had front disc brakes?  The early NZ ones still had drums I thought.  Would be nice to keep it for sure.

woops, i got that wrong.   Just checked the papers, and it is Feb 1976

I'm too embarrassed to say what I paid for it, but for a long time they were a premium car in this country (back in the days of import controls)

[Filx]

The 1100cc?  No, sorry, it's not the colour on that brochure, but the pale pastel blue that a lot of the nz-assembled ones came out in

Nah was referring to your GTI rep  that yellow is the business!

[portmanteau]

Nah was referring to your GTI rep  that yellow is the business!

thanks   Yea, I think it looks like a little fat bumble-bee

I don't know if it was a colour ever used on the German-built cars - might have been just on the USA-Westmoreland builds (which also got opening 1/4 lights btw)

It's a much nicer yellow than the dirty more orangey tint used on most golfs - If not for the colour I would probably never have been inspired to build the replica

looks like the colour hung around for a few years, too:



from: http://www.minunauto.com/?page=showcar&id=1234



edit:  here are the german colour codes through the years:  http://www.doppel-wobber.de/wbb2/golf_info.php?id=56

The colour is LA1D Lemongelb - I wonder if it ever went on LHD European market GTIs, as well as on base models?