The Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTI is excellent. Also a bit of a cliche, if we’re honest. So much so, TopGear.com is almost 1% certain its status as peak hot hatch stretches all the way back to the ‘father of history’ himself, good old Herodotus.
Speaking of rare Greeks, here’s a lesser-known way to get yer Mk2 Hot Golf fix and avoid the hyperbole: it’s a lovely, 1989 Golf Rallye, offered up for auction via Bring a Trailer. It currently resides in Greece, having been imported over from Germany.
According to the listing, it’s been the subject of a very thorough restoration, including a full rebuild of the supercharged 1.8-liter four-pot up front; a rebuild that includes forged pistons, a new pulley for the ‘G-Lader,’ and better engine management software.
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No word on how much power it now makes, but out of the box, these things churned out a healthy (for 1989) 160hp and 222Nm. That’s delivered to a five-speed gearbox and all four wheels.
Well, sometimes. If the front wheels can’t cope with what they’re being asked to achieve. But whatever, we’re calling it: it’s a classic 4WD Golf. Stick that in yer FWD pipe, Mr. so-called GTI.
Some of the body panels have been replaced—boxier than the regular Golf—there’s new AVO suspension and poly bushes, and the whole thing looks… rather lovely indeed. Different too, thanks to the Rallye’s pinching of the Jetta’s headlights.
This one’s decked out in black, features Recaro seats, and has just 2,574 kilometers on the clock. Though that’s only 2,574 kilometers since the rebuild, not since 1989.
Oh, right, the rare thing. VW built around 5,000 examples of the Golf Rallye so that it could go racing in Group A…where it didn’t really fare very well. Quite heavy (for the time), and not fast enough.
So no, the Rallye never quite hit the same heady highs as the Mk2 Golf GTI, but surely that only makes it cooler, right? Once you’ve read the listing here, get checking down the back of the sofa, because the bid price isn’t bad for a car this rare.
More photos of the 1989 Mk2 Volkswagen Golf Rallye on auction:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
