The MkI Golf was the car which defined the hot hatch and although it was refined with age VW got the GTI pretty much right from the word go. One of the few things they did less than well though was the engineering of the brakes: a cross-linkage was used on right-hand drive cars to transfer the effort from the brake pedal on the right to the servo which remained on the left. Specialists suggest that keeping on top of the adjustment of the rear brakes and changing the fluid frequently will improve matters. On 13-inch wheels, you’re limited to 239 mm discs, so the sensible upgrade is simply a set of performance discs and pads with the original callipers.

With 14-inch wheels you can run a maximum of 270 mm discs with the original callipers on an extension bracket, or build your own set-up for peanuts using standard MkII GTI 16v discs and pre-1986 Audi 80 callipers. With 15-inch wheels, MkIII Golf callipers can be used with a suitable extension bracket to run 280 mm discs from the Golf G60. With 15-inch rims you also have a wide choice of complete kits from brake specialists like Hi-Spec, Wilwood and similar.

PRODUCED: 1976-1983
ENGINE: 1781cc 4 cyl
PRICES: £500 (tatty) to £5000
UPSIDE: It’s low tech by modern standards
DOWNSIDE: It’s been driven hard for 30 years
WHY YOU WANT ONE: It’s the original
CLUBS:
Mk1 Volkswagen Golf Owners’ Club   
www.vwgolfmk1.org.uk
Club GTI   
www.clubgti.com
SPECIALISTS:
Crazy Quiffs    01491 202054
www.golfmk1.co.uk
C&R Enterprises     0115 978 5740
www.candrenterprises.co.uk
Tuningwerkes    020 8681 0208
www.tuningwerkes.com
PARTS PRICES:
Performance air filter    £35
Stainless sports exhaust    £300
Eibach lowering springs    £140
Bilstein dampers    £210
Spax coil-over kit    £580
Hi Spec four-pot brake kit    £490
Kent Sports cam kit    £300

Read the full article in the February 2012 issue of Classic Car Mart - available to buy here.